


My Brother's Girlfriend

by JadeDome



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden Love, Kang Daniel-centric, Love Triangles, Romance, Unrequited Love, danielkang, kpop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-05-20 01:35:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14885132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeDome/pseuds/JadeDome
Summary: Daniel is in love with his brother's girlfriend since the day he met her while she only sees him as a little brother. Until one day...





	1. 10 Minutes Too Late

Daniel stood up and waved as the couple walked towards him at the restaurant. He couldn’t help but felt a tinge of jealousy as he looked at them holding hands. Walking towards him was the girl of his dream and next to her was his brother, both of whom are the people he loves the most in the world. Daniel smiled as they approached him then sat down at his table.

“Hey little bro, did you wait for a long time?” His stepbrother, Minhyun, asked as he pulled the chair out for Sayoung, Minhyun’s girlfriend. Daniel watched as they looked at each other lovingly then recalled how he missed his opportunity with her.

-3 years old

Daniel had just finished feeding the stray cats at the bottom of the staircase of his apartment when he overheard a conversation between a little girl and another person. The little girl was crying, seemingly upset about something while the other person was consoling her. Daniel looked to see who it was. He’s seen the little girl a couple of times since she lives in the same apartment complex as him, but the person standing next to her was someone he’s never met before. She was wearing sweat pants and a white t-shirt, her hair in a messy bun. She looked like she’s moving in. Despite her very casual outfit and how sweaty she was from the move, Daniel couldn’t help but be in awe with her beauty. She’s the type that doesn’t require much pampering to look gorgeous.

“It’s ok… don’t cry” she comforted the little girl as she patted her head. “It’s not your fault and your parents will still love you” she reassured her.

“If they love me, why are they leaving each other?” the little girl cried.

Daniel deduced from the conversation that the little girl’s parents must be getting a divorce. That wasn’t very surprising to him since they fought every single time he’s ran into them. Daniel couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation… it was similar to what he went through when his parents divorced and his mom remarried to Minhyun’s father.

“Them stop loving each other doesn’t mean they’ll stop loving you. I’m sure you’re incredibly precious to their heart.” The girl smiled, her eyes turning into a crescent. She had a smile that would make someone feel like they’re completely safe when they’re with her. Daniel couldn’t help be felt drawn to her smile.

“When my parents got a divorce, I thought the same thing. It was my fault, I made them fight and made them hate each other” she continued “but as I grew up, I realized that it was for the better. They were miserable with each other and stayed together mostly for my sake. Once they got divorced, they became happier people. They eventually found love with other people but they never stopped loving me. Just like your parents will never stop loving you.”

The little girl dried her eyes, what Sayoung said had comforted her greatly, but she still had one more concern “but I’ll see less of my dad since I’ll be living with my mom.”

The girl sighed, that was something she also struggled with. “I won’t lie to you, that’s definitely the worst part; not being able to see someone who you’ve seen every day. But here’s the secret, when you see them less, you learn to cherish every minute you get to spend with them. Our time together was less but the quality time we spent together became more. I’m sure your dad will make sure to cherish every second he gets with you.” She pulled the little girl into an embrace “you are so strong, even if you don’t know it yet. It’s ok to cry and be sad, but know that it’ll get better. I promise you.”

The little girl hugged her back and gave a toothy smile “unni, you’re like my fairy godmother. What’s your name? I will summon you next time I feel like crying”.

“Kim Sayoung” she chuckled “I’m not a fairy but you can summon me by going to that apartment right there.” Sayoung pointed to one of the apartments on the 6th floor. “Apartment 6B. I’m moving in there today. If you ever need to talk to me, you can come find me there” she smiled.

Daniel listened to the whole conversation and found himself deeply moved by her words, having grown up in a divorce household himself, he wished someone was there to comfort him the way Sayoung had comforted that little girl. He was never the type to believe in love at first sight, but that’s exactly what happened. He was attracted to her because yes, she is gorgeous, but mostly, he fell for her because of her beautiful heart.

Daniel contemplated whether he should march up to her to introduce himself, maybe even offer to help her move since her being in 6B meant she’s right across from his place, 6A. However, he wanted his first impression to be good and well, his hair looked like a bird nest, he’s wearing two different sandals, and his shirt has a huge coffee stain on it from this morning. She’ll probably think he’s some creep who’s trying to steal her stuff if he approached her now.

With that, Daniel quickly rushed back to his apartment to change his clothes, style his hair, and spray on some cologne. In a span of 10 minutes, he opened his door and was ready to march back down to find her, however, he stopped on his track when he heard two people coming up the stair, having a conversation. Although he didn’t know her enough to know for sure it’s her voice, it sounded an awful lot like her. As for the other voice, he could tell whose voice it is even in his sleep, it was Minhyun’s.

“You’re really going to love this place. The people here are incredibly nice and friendly” Minhyun said as he helped carry her boxes up the stair.

Sayoung smiled “I really owe you one. I can’t believe my luck… the elevators breaking on the day I move in.”

“The elevators here are a mess, it’s the only thing I dislike about this building. But hey, at least it helped us get to know each other.” Minhyun flirted “also, you can always thank me over dinner” Minhyun winked, causing Sayoung to blush.

Daniel stood there, dazed. Just like that, within a span of 10 minutes, Daniel lost his chance.

“Oh hey, why are you standing outside?” Minhyun greeted Daniel as he and Sayoung finally arrived on their floor.

“Um, I was just getting some fresh air” Daniel lied. Sayoung looked at Daniel and greeted him with a smile.

“This is our new neighbor, Sayoung” Minhyun introduced her to Daniel “she’s moving in 6A. You can call her Sayoung noona since she’s older than you” Minhyun teased as he walked over to Daniel and ruffled his hair. “This is Daniel, my little brother”

“Nice to meet you, Daniel” Sayoung said as she extended her hand for a handshake.

Minhyun and Sayoung continued to see each other and began dating a while after, as Daniel stood by and watched them fall in love. He relegated himself to being like her little brother, despite being only 3 months younger than her. Soon, Daniel and Sayoung began to develop a strong friendship as well; it was hard not to when she’s his neighbor and was always at his place. Daniel and Sayoung spent as much time together as she does with Minhyun, however, it always stayed platonic. In Sayoung’s eyes, Daniel was always just Minhyun’s little brother. For Daniel, the more time he spent with her, the harder he fell. She was like a missing puzzle that fits him to a T, their sense of humor was the same, their taste in movies, foods, and hobbies are identical, they even share the love for cats. They could sit there and talk for hours and not even realize it. The only thing they didn’t have in common is that he was in love with her and she wasn’t.

-Present time

“Yah, stop eating my food and get your own!” Sayoung nagged as she slapped away Daniel’s hands.

“But it’s so much better eating someone else’s food” Daniel smirked then took another piece of steak off her plate.

“You’re such a pain” Sayoung groaned but ended up giving him another piece of her steak anyways.  “Don’t say I’m not a good noona” she added. “But I hope you choke on them” she joked.

Daniel took a bite of the steak then began grasping at his throat with both of his hands, he started coughing and waving his arms in a panic; motioning that he’s choking.

“Oh my god!!!” Sayoung screamed as she quickly rushed to his side, only for Daniel to bust out laughing hysterically.

“Hahahahah!’ he hooted “you should’ve seen your face!”

“You jerk!” Sayoung rolled her eyes then punched him in the arm “that was not funny!”

“Aw, were you worried about me?” Daniel teased as he threw his arm around her shoulder, antagonizing her further.

“Yeah, I’m worried because I lent you $50 and if you died, I wouldn’t get it back” Sayoung retaliated then shoved his arm off.

“You guys are truly a match made in immature heaven. Seriously, people here will probably think you’re the ones dating each other” Minhyun said as he shook his head at how immature they were, though he was glad his little brother and his girlfriend got along so well.

Sayoung cringed at what Minhyun said and pretended to gag “please never say that again. That’s like incest” Sayoung objected.

Daniel pretended to gag as well even though deep down inside, what Sayoung just said made him sad. He’s come to term with the fact that she’s his brother’s girlfriend and they don’t have a chance, but still… hearing it from her mouth is always disheartening.

Just then, Minhyun received a phone call. He looked at the caller ID and then looked at Sayoung, hesitant to pick it up. However, after the second ring, he gave up. “Hello?” He greeted the person over the phone. Sayoung watched him talk on phone and knew what was coming next.

“Yes, I’ll be right there” he said seriously then looked at Sayoung and Daniel apologetically “Sorry… the law firm just got a big case and they need me to come in.”

He looked at Sayoung then gave her a peck on the cheek “I’ll see you later, ok?” then began rushing off.

“See you later” Sayoung replied halfheartedly as Minhyun walked away. This wasn’t the first time he’s left her in the middle of a date, as a matter of fact, for the past 3 years she’s been dating Minhyun, he’s left her on countless of dates due to his work. She thought she’d get used to it by now but she’s still disappointed every time he leaves. It always felt like she wasn’t his priority.

Daniel gave Minhyun a quick wave then turned his attention to Sayoung, he could tell she was sad. They’ve done this dance many times, Minhyun would leave her and Daniel would keep her company. In fact, that’s how they grew so close to one another; Minhyun left them plenty of opportunities to be alone. Not that Daniel minded it; he will take any moment with her he could get, even if that made it more difficult for him to move on.

“So… want to go watch a movie after this?” Daniel offered, knowing that it’ll cheer Sayoung up. He knew she loves going to the movie because she loves the smell of the popcorns and being able to escape from reality.

“Your treat” Sayoung grinned.

-At the movie

Daniel and Sayoung decided to watch a scary movie despite Sayoung being a complete chicken. She gets scared easily, but she loves the thrill of it. They decided to sit in the very back row so Sayoung won’t feel like there’s a ghost behind her; a logic that completely escapes Daniel.

Suddenly, there was a scene in which the main character looked in a mirror and saw a ghost looking right back at him. The ghost then popped out and started chasing the main character. Sayoung yelled at the top of her lungs and grabbed onto Daniel’s shirt.

“Yah, you’re stretching my shirt” Daniel complained and acted annoyed, even though he was secretly enjoying it.

“Tell me when it’s over” she whined as she buried her face into his arm.

Daniel smirked. “Pst…” Daniel whispered to her, causing her to look up from his arm “there’s a ghost behind you” he teased. Sayoung freaked out over what Daniel said, jumped, and threw her popcorns everywhere as the result. Everyone at the movie theater turned around to look at them, seeing what the commotion was all about.

Sayoung glared at him “it’s on” she threatened then began tickling him knowing that Daniel is horrible at handling tickles. He’s the type that would flail all over the place and scream, and he did just that, causing everyone to look at them once more.

“Shhh! You’re going to get us kicked out” Sayoung grinned, happy that she got him back.

Once the movie ended, Daniel and Sayoung took a taxi and headed back to their apartment.  

“Careful of the ghost hiding under your bed~~~” Daniel said in a spooky voice just as Sayoung had unlocked the door to her apartment and was about to go in.

Sayoung turned around to look at him, “you’re a jackass” she scowled, then proceeded to lock her door back up and headed into Daniel’s apartment instead.

Daniel chuckled. Truth is, he wanted to spend more time with her. Yes, he knows it’s a bad idea. Yes, he’s just making it harder on himself. However, when Daniel is with Sayoung, it’s as if common sense is a foreign concept to him. He knew they can never be, but he rather be with her this way than not at all.

Sayoung walked towards Daniel’s fridge and grabbed a beer before settling on his couch. “I guess Minhyun isn’t back yet” she said disappointedly.

Daniel followed suit, he grabbed a beer for himself and settled on the floor right beneath where Sayoung was laying. “He’s probably going to stay there overnight again” Daniel answered.

“Probably…” Sayoung said as she took a sip of her beer.

 “So your 3 years anniversary is coming up…” Daniel continued “what are your plans?” Despite his feelings, Daniel was glad Minhyun finally found a girl who he can commit to. Daniel thought Minhyun would never settle down since all of his previous relationships were less than a year, but turns out it just took a special girl. Unfortunately, it happens to be the girl that Daniel finds special as well. Still, Minhyun treated Sayoung well so Daniel didn’t mind losing her to his brother.

Sayoung blushed “well, actually… I was hoping you can teach me cook his favorite meal, lasagna.” Sayoung lowered her voice, embarrassed about what she’s about to say next “I also booked us a room at the Hilton.”

The room went silent; Daniel felt like he could hear his heart shattering into a million pieces. He knew that Minhyun and Sayoung have been taking it REALLY slow, mainly because Sayoung had a traumatic experience in her past relationship that made her afraid to become intimate. The guy she lost her virginity to went after her for a whole year, then once they dated and had sex, he dumped her and told her he just wanted to try a virgin. Since then, Sayoung had trouble trusting guys. Her booking the hotel with Minhyun meant she was ready to take the relationship to the next level. Daniel knew this day would come, he just didn’t realized how much it’ll bother him.

“Daniel…?” Sayoung asked, concerned because he suddenly got so quiet.

“I see…” Daniel answered, as much as he tried, he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his tone. “Do you feel like you’re ready?” He asked as he took a sip of his beer, hoping to drown his sorrow in it.

“Well… I love him and he loves me. Plus, he’s been waiting so patiently” she replied. “Do you think he’ll like the surprise?” Sayoung asked.

An outsider listening to their conversation would find it odd how opened they are to one another, however, that’s just the way Daniel and Sayoung been… she always confided in him and him in her. In many ways, she’s told Daniel things she’d never tell Minhyun.

Daniel struggled between lying to her versus telling her the truth. Truth is, Minhyun has been dying to be with her intimately, Daniel knew this because Minhyun had vented to him a few times about how frustrated he’s getting… yet how can he encourage the girl he loves to go sleep with someone else?

Daniel was torn between his happiness and his brother’s happiness.

“I think he’ll love it” Daniel said then gave her a reassuring smile, deciding to be unselfish once more. “Not sure if he’ll love your cooking though” Daniel teased, hiding his sadness with a joke.

“So you agree to helping me, right?” Sayoung pouted.

Daniel groaned “fiiineee.”

“You are the best little bro ever!” Sayoung squealed then threw her arms around Daniel’s neck, giving him a hug from the back.

And so just like that, Daniel had agreed to help the love of his life become even closer to his brother, knowing that with his help, they’ll make love to one another for the first time tomorrow. Daniel continued to drink one beer after the next until his fridge eventually ran out as he tried to erase tomorrow from his mind. He looked over to find the now asleep Sayoung, laying on the couch. Even when she’s just sleeping, Daniel found her absolutely perfect. In his drunken state, he walked over to her then kneeled down so that he’s face to face with her. He slowly touched her lips with his finger. The lips that he can never have. Daniel leaned in closer until their lips nearly touched, however, he stopped himself and pulled away, knowing that it’s a line he cannot cross. Daniel sat there and looked at her face. How can he survive tomorrow when the thought of it today was already killing him?

__________

Wanna One made their comeback!!! Daniel is killing it in that butler outfit. I die!!


	2. The Weird Day

Daniel and Sayoung had just finished shopping for groceries and now they’re back at Sayoung’s apartment preparing to make the lasagna. Sayoung also suckered him into helping her make omurice as well, another one of Minhyun’s favorites.

Since Daniel is a chef, Sayoung had seen him cook many times before, but this would be the first time he’ll teach her how to cook.

“Do you have a strainer?” Daniel asked as he began unbagging all the groceries.

“What’s… a strainer?” Sayoung questioned, acting like Daniel was speaking in a foreign language.

Daniel facepalmed “that thing that has a bunch of holes in it. You use it to rinse pasta”.

“Ohhhhh! That! Yes, it’s in my Useless Stuff cabinet” Sayoung said then opened the cabinet near the ceiling, trying to reach for it. She grunted; it was a lot harder to reach than she thought. Sayoung tiptoed but still, she couldn’t reach it.

“You should’ve drank more milk when you were young” Daniel teased then went behind her and grabbed the strainer, his body slightly brushed against hers unintentionally as he stretched his arm to reach the cabinet. Sayoung felt his body heat as he pressed against her and due to their proximity, she could even smell his cologne; which was fragranced like sandalwood and citrus.  Sayoung blinked her eyes a couple of time, trying to process what just happened. It’s not like they’ve never touched each other before, Sayoung had always hugged Daniel like he’s her little brother and Daniel always put his arms around her to tease her for being so short. But this was different… this skinship wasn’t from her treating him like a little kid or him messing with her. For a split second, Daniel gave off a very manly vibe, something that Sayoung had never felt from Daniel before.

“Why do we need this strainer for? Omurice doesn’t have noodles in it” Sayoung asked, still trying to shake off what she just felt.

“The strainer gets rid of the lump in the omelette, it makes it smoother” Daniel explained while Sayoung nodded, pretending she understood what that meant.

“Cut up the vegetables first” Daniel instructed as he handed her a bag of bell peppers. Sayoung looked at him, confused once again. To be fair, the only thing she knew how to make is instant ramen and boiled eggs. If she knew how to cook, she wouldn’t had asked for his help.

“Cut it how?” she asked as she held the bell peppers down on the cutting board with her left hand and gripped the knife like it’s a dirty diaper, using only her thumb and index finger, with her right hand.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. This was going to be a long day. Daniel scooted Sayoung over then took over her position. He modeled how to hold the knife then began chopping the bell peppers at lightning speed. Sayoung looked at him in amazement. No way in hell she’s going to be able to do that. “You try” Daniel insisted as he handed the knife back to her and stepped away from the cutting board.

Sayoung gave him an awkward smile then began chopping the vegetables at the pace that’s even too slow for a sloth to handle. She was afraid of cutting herself. Daniel couldn’t help but bust out laughing at the sight. “Yah… are we making this for your three years anniversary or for your four years anniversary?” Daniel teased.

“Do you really want to laugh at me while I’m holding a knife?” Sayoung threatened. Daniel gave her a bow to show that he’s sorry then ruffled her hair playfully. She was adorable.

“Seriously though… watching you cut those vegetables is giving me high blood pressure” Daniel smiled then got behind Sayoung and slipped his arms in front of her. Although she knew he’s just trying to guide her on how to cut the vegetables, it really felt like he was giving her a back hug. Sayoung found herself getting flustered once again. Daniel then placed his hands on top of hers and started guiding her hands.  

“first, tuck your fingers in” he instructed as he grabbed a hold of her left hand and helped her form a fist. “Now, use that fist to hold the bell peppers in place while using your knuckles to guide the knife” he continued. “Just like this” he said as he started guiding her right hand in chopping the peppers. “See? Pretty easy right?” he said as he continued holding her hands and chopping the veggies.

Sayoung felt her heart beating faster for some odd reason. Maybe it was him being so close to her that she could actually feel his heart beating on her back, or perhaps it’s his low and husky voice that’s resonating in her ear since his lips are right next to them.

“Are you paying attention?” Daniel lectured, snapping Sayoung out of her thoughts.

“Left hand fist, right hand chop. Got it” Sayoung answered then gave him a little nudge to back off. She needed some distance between herself and him. Daniel smiled and backed away to watch her finish the rest by herself. He frowned. She was still horrible.

\---

After taking way longer than needed to chop the vegetables, Daniel and Sayoung finally moved on to the fried rice portion of the omurice. Once again, Sayoung was a mess so Daniel had to take over. Sayoung watched as Daniel poured some sort of liquid into the rice, causing it to burst into a huge flame. Sayoung opened her in mouth in awe; Daniel was clearly performing some sort of sorcery in front of her. Daniel then fliped the rice with just a flick of his wrist, making it look incredibly easy. He was completely concentrated to the point that he didn’t even realized he was sweating due to the high flames.

Sayoung walked over and pulled on her long sleeve, intending to help him wipe off his sweat with it when Daniel suddenly grabbed her hand and stopped her. Sayoung gulped as he looked into her eyes. Why did he suddenly grab her hand?

“Yah…” Daniel muttered as he inched closer to her. “You have flour all over your sleeve” he said as he turned her arm around to show her the mess. She had forgotten about the flour bag that burst all over her when she tried to put it away earlier. “Nice try though” Daniel smirked, thinking that Sayoung was just trying to wipe the flour on him and he had caught onto her plan.

Sayoung looked at her sleeve and laughed; it was indeed a mess. “Well… in that case…” she exclaimed then rushed up to Daniel and wiped her sleeve on his face, causing the flour to transfer onto him.

“YAhH!” Daniel exclaimed as he rubbed his cheek to get the flour off. Daniel then looked at the bag of flour and smirked. Sayoung followed his eyes and prepared to run, however, she was too slow. Daniel grabbed a handful of flour from the bag and wiped it on her nose. He busted out laughing at the sight of her with powder all over her face; she looked like a kid who went too crazy on the sunblock.

Just like that, Daniel and Sayoung threw flour back and forth at each other until they both looked like snowmen. They only stopped once all the flour is gone.

Sayoung gasped when she saw the state of her kitchen; it was pure white due to their escapade.

“You started it” Daniel remarked, knowing that she was about to blame him.

“You made it worst! Sayoung retaliated, pouting.

Daniel and Sayoung spent the next 30 minutes cooking then the next 15 minutes cleaning up her kitchen. They only had one task left, wait for the oven to finish cooking the lasagna.

“I’m going to hop in the shower; when the oven dings, leave it in there to cool for 5 minutes before taking it out” Daniel instructed then took off his shirt and threw it at Sayoung “and since it’s your fault there’s flour all over my shirt, it’s only fair you have to wash it” Daniel smiled.

Sayoung removed Daniel’s shirt that was blocking her vision then caught glimpse of something that shocked her. Wait… Daniel has abs?!?!? Sayoung suddenly felt shy and looked away. She’s never been shy around Daniel before, not even when they talked about their first time or when she told Daniel she’s planning to go all the way with Minhyun. But seeing his abs suddenly got her flustered?! This just added onto her list of weird things that happened today. As Daniel walked away, Sayoung turned back to look at him… she must still be drunk from last night.

\---

Daniel came back 30 minutes later to Sayoung, who had already changed into her date clothes. Spending time with her took his mind off of what was going on today, however, now that he sees her all dolled up, he’s reminded of the fact she and Minhyun will be intimate for the first time today.

“How do I look?” Sayoung asked then spun around so Daniel can observe her fully. She was wearing a red, form-fitting knee-length dress that had lace detailing all over it. It hugged every inch of her body. Sayoung doesn’t wear tight clothes very often, but she figured tonight is special and she wanted to look seductive in front of Minhyun. “Do you think it’s too much?” she asked.

Daniel cleared his throat, he wanted to tell her she looked gorgeous. “You look like a chilli pepper” he said instead, causing Sayoung to punch him in the arm.

“You’re no help” Sayoung glared. “Anyways, thank for your help little bro. I release you from captivity” Sayoung joked as she walked up to Daniel and ruffled his hair as if he’s a little kid.

“For the last time, you’re only 3 months older than me” Daniel griped then used his finger to push her head back jokingly. “Well, have fun!” Daniel smiled as he opened the door to her apartment. He gave her a wave before closing it. The moment the door closed, Daniel’s smile instantly turned into a frown.  He stood outside and door and contemplated on what to do. He wanted to go back in and tell her not to go, and had she been dating someone else, he would’ve. Instead, Daniel accepted his fate and went back to his apartment, where his brother, the man who has Sayoung’s heart, was.

Daniel entered his apartment and finds Minhyun in casual-wear, lounging on the couch and watching tv. “Why aren’t you ready yet? Sayoung will be here soon” Daniel questioned.

“Ready for what?” Minhyun asked, his eyes still glued on the screen. Daniel couldn’t believe his ears; Minhyun had gotten their anniversary again. He forgot it last year as well and Sayoung and him got in such a big fight over it.

“Your anniversary with Sayoung is today… please don’t tell me you forgot” Daniel sighed.

“Shit… what do I do?!” Minhyun panicked “I totally forgot it’s our anniversary. I didn’t even get her anything.”

Daniel hesitated for a bit, then walked to his room and came back with a gift bag in his hand. He had gotten the gift for Sayoung’s upcoming birthday after spending over 2 months looking for it. He jumped through all kinds of hurdles until he finally found the person who collected teddy bears. He then spent the next two weeks negotiating with the guy until he finally agreed to sell it at a ridiculously high price.  Still, it was worth it to see her happy.

“Here” Daniel handed the gift bag to Minhyun “she used to have a teddy bear like this one when she was a little girl, she called it Tan. You can say it’s from you.”

Minhyun pulled Daniel into a hug, grateful that his brother is once again there to help him with Sayoung “you are the best brother ever!” Minhyun praised. “Seriously, you saved my life” Minhyun said before running to his room to get prepared.

Daniel plopped on the couch and look at the gift bag that Minhyun had thrown on the coffee table. He wanted to see the smile on her face when she receives the gift, but it looks like he won’t be able to. Still, as long as she’ll smile, Daniel felt content.

\---

Minhyun came back out 10 minutes later dressed in his finest outfit; afterall, Sayoung could never know that he had forgotten. Minhyun knew Sayoung had been very unhappy with him lately due to his job and her finding out about this would surely guarantee a huge fight between them, or worst, a break up.

Just then, a knock came at the door. Minhyun looked at himself in the mirror on last time, straightened his tie, then came to the door and greeted Sayoung with a kiss on the lips.

“You look gorgeous” Minhyun complimented her then held her hand. “Happy anniversary babe” he said as he handed her the gift bag. Sayoung smiled from ear to ear, happy that he didn’t forget.

“Let’s get going then” Sayoung said as she waved goodbye to Daniel, who smiled and waved back. Minhyun turned around and mouthed “thank you” to Daniel once again before they left the apartment and closed the door behind them.

Once the door finally closed, Daniel went back to the couch and closed his eyes, hoping he can sleep the entire night away so he wouldn’t have to think about it.

______

What do you guys think of the story so far? If you like it, please considering commenting and bookmarking it. Thank you for reading!!!


	3. A Slippery Slope

“A hotel?” Minhyun asked, shocked as he got out of the taxi to gazed upon the 10 story-high building. Never in a million world would he had ever guessed Sayoung booked them a hotel. He felt excited, not just because they were about to have sex for the first time but because this meant she truly trusted him now.

Sayoung blushed “I wanted tonight to be special” she said as she covered his eyes and led him to their room.

“Ok, you can open them now” Sayoung said in excitement as she released her hands from Minhyun’s face when they got to the room.  

Minhyun blinked his eyes a couple times, trying to adjust to the change in lighting then opened his mouth in shocked once he saw what’s in front of him. The dimly lit room was adorned with candles and flowers and a trail of red roses led his eyes to the king-sized bed that was covered in more flower petals. It was clear Sayoung had came a couple of hours earlier to decorate it. He continued to scan the room and saw DVDs of his favorite movies as well as CDs from his favorite singers on top of the drawers. Sayoung even had an overnight bag prepared for him so that he can get ready in the morning. Needless to say, Sayoung had put a lot of thoughts into it and wanted this night to be as romantic and as memorable as possible.

“Babe…” Minhyun said in awe as he pulled her into an embrace “I can’t believe you did all of this.”

“That’s not all to your gifts…” Sayoung smiled as she held up the bento box “I also made you your favorites… lasagna as well as omurice”

“Have I told you you’re the best girlfriend ever? And that I’m so lucky to have you?” Minhyun said then gave her a peck on the lips while he handed her the gift, aka, Daniel’s gift. She had given it back to him earlier and said she’ll open it later when she gives him his gifts.

“Open it…” he smiled, though feeling slightly guilty that she’s done so much for him and he didn’t even get her a gift on his own.

Sayoung peeked in the bag and gasped. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It looked exactly like the favorite teddy bear she had when she grew up. She had misplaced it when they moved to a different house following her parents’ divorce and she’s spent years trying to find a replicate. Minhyun must’ve searched for such a long time.

“Oh my god!” she shouted as she pulled the teddy bear out to hug it. “I can’t believe you were able to find one. They’ve been discontinued for so long!” Sayoung squealed as she jumped on Minhyun and gave him a huge kiss on the lips. She’s been unhappy with their relationship lately but this gift, it wiped all of her concerns away. Minhyun clearly loves her. If she had any doubts about taking their relationship to the next level, it’s all gone now.

“Well, anything for the best girlfriend in the world” Minhyun smiled, hugging and kissing her back.

“How did you do it? How long did it take you to find him? Was he expensive? What did you search up?” Sayoung asked her slew of questions as she pulled away from the hug to resume hugging the teddy bear.

Minhyun gulped, regretting that he didn’t ask Daniel for more details. “I found it online” he lied.

“Online? Where? On eBay?” Sayoung continued her interrogation.

Minhyun scratched his head, trying to think of an answer. “Yes, eBay… anyways, should we eat? I’m starving” Minhyun tried to change the subject.

Sayoung nodded in agreement, she was still in cloud nine over her gift. She had mentioned it only once when she, Minhyun, and Daniel were having breakfast together and she can’t believe that he remembered. Minhyun is no doubt the perfect guy for her.  

“So, what should I name him?” Sayoung asked as she began setting out the bento box on the coffee table.

Minhyun tried to recall what Daniel had said earlier about the name of the old teddy bear… was it Tom? He’s pretty sure it’s Tom but he doesn’t want to say it in case he’s wrong. “I’m horrible at naming things… what do you think?” Minhyun asked, hoping that would get her off his track.

“How about Tom?” Sayoung suggested

Minhyun grinned, secretly proud of himself for remembering it afterall.  “You’re going to name him the same thing as your old teddy bear? Don’t you want to set them apart?” Minhyun asked, causing Sayoung to tilt her head in confusion.

“My old teddy bear was called Tan” Sayoung replied, puzzled. He remembered her talking about the teddy bear but not its name? Despite the fact that she was going on and on during breakfast how she named it Tan because she would really tan as a child and the teddy bear was nearly the same color as her? Something didn’t feel right.

“I meant… the first letter, you want to keep their first letter the same? Both starting with a T?” Minhyun answered while squirming in his seat, if Sayoung finds out he lied to her, he’s 100% screwed.

Sayoung looked at Minhyun suspiciously, something is off. “What did you search up in order to find him?” she asked.

Minhyun knew he was fucked, there’s no way he can convinced her he found it herself. Still, he can’t afford telling her the truth either. Her finding out that he forgot could mean the end to their relationship.

Minhyun sighed “Ok… the truth is, Daniel helped me find it. You know I’m horrible at looking for things online”. Minhyun said as he gauged Sayoung facial reactions. Her eyesbrows were furrowed, showing that she was unsure whether she believed him or not. Minhyun tensed up… this was not good. Suddenly, her features softened.

“I knew there’s no way you looked for him all by yourself” Sayoung smiled “you’re even worse at the computer than I am”. With that, Sayoung continued setting out the food, while Minhyun wiped the sweat from his forehead. That was a close call.

After finishing their meal, Minhyun and Sayoung decided to move the session onto the bed. They were deep in their makeup session while listening to Minhyun’s favorite song by Nell.

“I love you so much” Minhyun whispered as he broke away from the kiss to look at Sayoung “you make me the happiest guy in the world”.

Sayoung felt complete bliss, this is the happiest they’ve been in months. “I love you too” she answered then pulled Minhyun lips back towards her, resuming their steamy kiss. Sayoung then pushed Minhyun down on the bed and climbed on top of him. She was ready to go further with him.  

Minhyun sat up then brought Sayoung closer into his body, kissing her neck. He then placed his hand on the zipper of her dress. She was one pull away from being naked in front of him and the thought of that excited him even more.

“Are you sure?” Minhyun asked.

“I’m sure…” Sayoung replied as she made her way towards his pants and began unbuttoning it as well.

Suddenly… a dreaded sound, the sound that Sayoung hated the most in the world, broke up their intimate moment. The sound of Minhyun’s phone. And since he had a specific ringtone dedicated to his workplace, she knew it was a call from work.

Minhyun let out a groan in annoyance then paused what they were doing and reached over to his phone.

“Hello?” He greeted.

Sayoung watched the conversation play out, the same conversation that she hears every single time before he leaves. Finally, Minhyun hung up the phone and looked at her apologetically, she was well accustomed to that look as well. Still, Sayoung was hopeful. It’s their three-year anniversary, they’re about to be intimate for the first time, maybe he won’t go this time?

And for a split second, Minhyun considered not going. This is the furthest they’ve gone and Minhyun had been waiting for this for 3 years, he wanted it so bad. But work… he just started out his career and missing any opportunities could mean the differences between having his own law firm one day versus forever being stuck working for someone else. You simply can’t have your own law firm without sacrificing a couple of things. Minhyun stirred from his position. Yes, being with Sayoung is important, but right now… he must prioritize work. Sayoung can wait, work can’t.

“Don’t…” Sayoung whispered “ignore it for once…” she said as she tried to stop Minhyun from getting up.

“Sayoung, you know I can’t…” Minhyun said apologetically.

Sayoung hopped off him then zipped her dress back up. She can’t believe he’s leaving her on their anniversary and right when they’re about to make love for the first time. He knew how difficult it was for her to overcome this barrier in their relationship. Sayoung felt pathetic; Minhyun leaving her right when she trusted him enough to take it to the next level reminded her of her first love, who left her after she gave him everything… all of herself. The wound that she worked so hard to heal was ripped back open, just like that.

“Do you even love me?” Sayoung asked as tears welled up in her eyes, she recalled asking her first love the same question before he walked away, laughing.

“Of course I love you! I’ve never been with anyone as long as I’ve been with you. I wouldn’t date you for 3 years if I didn’t” Minhyun explained as he ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “I told you, just give me a couple more years, once my career takes off, I won’t be so busy and I’ll make more time for you” Minhyun continued.

Sayoung heard him sang this tune multiple times; she can practically recite it verbatim. Each time, she believed his promise but she’s not too sure if she does now. Afterall, this has been an ongoing problem for the past 2 years and it’s only getting worst.  “I heard this 2 years ago, I heard this last year, I’m still hearing it” Sayoung retorted. “Will I ever stop hearing it?” she asked.

Minhyun walked towards Sayoung and embraced her “babe, it’s our anniversary. Let’s not fight. I’ll try to be done as soon as possible and come back, ok?” he pleaded.

“Just go…” Sayoung said, defeated.

Minhyun hesitated on what to do for a split second then reached for the door knob “Sayoung, I’ll make it up to you, I promise” and with that, he opened the door and left, leaving Sayoung to sob in the room alone.

-At the apartment

Daniel, who was lounging on the couch in the living room, heard banging noises coming from the across his apartment and found it odd. Sayoung wasn’t home so who’s making that sound? They’ve had a couple of incidents this month where people had their stuff stolen near the apartment complex so Daniel was extra cautious. He tiptoed towards his door, frying pan in hand, then opened it abruptly while screaming “Stop right there!!!”

That’s when he saw Sayoung sitting outside her door, crying. The banging sound he heard was from her banging her head against in door in frustration.

“What happened?” Daniel rushed to her side, placing the frying pan down next to her. He didn’t expect for her to be back today since she’s supposed to be in the hotel with Minhyun, much less to see her crying. And why is she sitting outside of her door?

“I forgot to bring my keys” she bawled her eyes out.

“You’re crying because you forgot your keys?” Daniel questioned, confused by the entire situation. “Why didn’t you just ask me to give you your spare keys? You know I have a copy of it” Daniel said before running back to his apartment to grab her spare key. “Here” he said as he handed her the keys.

“Where’s Minhyun?” he asked, causing Sayoung to cry even harder. She was having such a shitty day.

“I don’t want to talk about him right now” Sayoung said before getting up and unlocking her door.

“Wait… what happened?” Daniel questioned as he stepped in front of Sayoung then placed his hand on the doorway, using his arm as a barrier to prevent her from entering the apartment “talk to me.”

“Let’s just say he’s at work” Sayoung answered drearily.

Daniel couldn’t believe his ears. Did Minhyun actually abandoned her on their anniversary?! What was he thinking… the damn idiot. Even Daniel couldn’t side with him on that one.

“Anyways, thanks for the spare key” Sayoung said as she tried to shove Daniel out of the way, who wouldn’t budge. He didn’t want to leave Sayoung by herself.

“Yah...” Sayoung groaned as she looked up at Daniel with her bloodshot eyes, which broke Daniel’s heart. “Move” she demanded.

Daniel looked at Sayoung’s teary eyes and froze. He’s seen her cry before and each time, it drove him insane with how much he wanted to hug her, still… he never did. He was afraid that if he hugged her, he’d never let her go. If he hugged her, he’ll become more greedy. If he hugged her, he’ll want to hold her hand, and if he held her hand, he’ll want to kiss her… and if he kissed her, he’ll want to be with her. It’s a slippery slope that Daniel doesn’t dare going down. And so every time she cried, he’d stood there and watch her, even if he wanted to do more.

“I said move!” Sayoung yelled as she nudged him harder. It was embarrassing to her to cry in front of him, hell, it was embarrassing for her to cry in front of anyone. Still, Daniel didn’t move an inch. Instead, he just stood there and stare at her, still unsure of what to do and how to help her feel better.

“Daniel… I said get out of the way!” Sayoung screamed, tears now falling down her face from frustration. Daniel could tell he was giving her a hard time, still… he couldn’t leave her, not like this. He’ll just spend the entire night worrying about her if he did.

“This is so embarrassing…” Sayoung groaned in agony. “I need to get in my apartment!” she said as she continued shoving him out of the way.

“Dammit, Kang Daniel!” She screeched in annoyance. “Seriously… I don’t want the neighbors to see me cr…” however, before Sayoung could finish her sentence, Sayoung felt a tug on her hand and next thing she knew, Daniel had pulled her into his body.

“Just cry…” Daniel said as he wrapped both of his arms around her, hiding her face with them, and pulled her into his chest “I won’t let anyone see it, and I won’t look either…” he whispered as he held onto her tightly.

Sayoung felt the vibration of his voice through his chest as he said it. The tears she’s been struggling to fight back came pouring out, wetting his shirt. As much as she didn’t want anyone to see her cry… she was glad Daniel was there. Just as he’s always been for the past 3 tears.

Sayoung eventually gave in to his embrace as she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. She dug her face harder into his chest, using it to muffle her sobs. He was just the perfect height for her to lean on, him being 180cm tall and her being only 160cm. And so they stood there in that position for the next 5 minutes as Sayoung cried her heart out.  As for Daniel’s heart… it felt like it’s about to explode. Why did he hug her? He’s spent the last 3 years holding it back and now… he’s set himself down the slippery slope of wanting to hold her hands as well.

Daniel shook off his feeling; now is not the time and the place to be distracted with how he felt. In fact, it’s never the time nor place to think about it. Still, he wanted to comfort her. Daniel began patting her head “aigoo …” he smiled “you act like you’re so much older than me but who’s the little kid now?” he joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Sayoung pulled her face away from his now damp chest and looked up at him “you are still younger than me by 3 months” she sneered then finally smiled. She let go of her grip on Daniel then pushed him away “you’re dead meat if you tell anyone about this” she threatened jokingly.

Daniel was glad she was able to joke, that meant she’s feeling better. Still, he knew what’ll really help.

“Want to drink some beer and watch scary movies?” Daniel grinned.

\---

As they watch the movie, Daniel thoughts began to trail back to earlier when he had her in his arms. How her hair smelled like strawberries. How she just fits right into his arms perfectly. How warm she was. How soft her skin felt when he accidentally brushed against it during their embrace. Daniel placed his hand over his rapidly beating heart to calm it, however, the dampness he felt from his tear-drenched shirt snapped him back to reality.

Daniel peeked over at Sayoung, she’s been awfully quiet. Although her eyes were glued to the screen and she was trying to hide her face, it was obvious she’s back to crying, and since the scene they’re watching right now was a scary scene, Daniel knew she was thinking about Minhyun.

Daniel move himself closer to her on the couch then used his hand to guide her head onto his shoulder. “I heard my wide shoulder is really good to rest on” Daniel smiled, letting Sayoung know he was a shoulder to cry on. Sayoung didn’t say a word, she just continued to rest her head on his shoulder as tears continue to stream down her cheeks. Eventually, Sayoung’s tears made her eyes grew tired and she fell asleep.

\---

“Daniel?” Sayoung murmured as Daniel laid her down on her bed; the movement had stirred her from her sleep.

“Hm?” Daniel hummed as he pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in.

“I wish I had a brother like you growing up” she commented before closing her eyes and falling back asleep.

Daniel stood there and watched her for a moment before heading back to his apartment and settling down on his own bed. He looked up at the ceiling that was illuminated by his spiderman nightlight. At the end of the day, whether or not he’s crazy for her, whether or not she’s with Minhyun… it doesn’t change the fact that she saw him only as a little brother.

_____

Thank you so much for the supportive comments! I need to get me a Daniel. = (


	4. The Blind Date

-The next day

Sayoung was awoken by the sound of knocking on her door, she opened it, half asleep, to find Minhyun standing there with roses and her favorite dessert, red velvet cheesecake, in his hands.

“Good Morn…” before Minhyun could finish his sentence, Sayoung slammed the door in his face. He’s got some nerve trying to make up for what he did with just flowers and dessert alone.

Minhyun was shocked, this is the first time she’s ever slammed the door in his face and refuses to hear hm out at all.  

Not one to give up, Minhyun knocked on her door again. “Sayoung, don’t be like this. Let me make it up to you” he begged, however, the only response he got was complete silence. Minhyun continued to pester her for the next 5 minutes until the odd glances from their neighbors forced him to retreat.

“No luck?” Daniel asked as Minhyun solemnly entered their apartment, his eyes glued to the floor.

“She’s really pissed off this time” Minhyun answered as he plopped onto the couch and threw the flowers and cheesecake onto the coffee table in front of it.

“Well… can you blame her?” Daniel countered. Even Daniel can’t help but be upset with Minhyun. First, Minhyun forgot their anniversary, which Daniel already helped him out by covering for him with his own present that he had gotten for Sayoung, then Minhyun went and just left her in the hotel all by herself? Despite loving Minhyun with all his heart, Daniel wouldn’t mind giving him a nice swift punch to the face right now.

“Daniel… what should I do? I got roses and her favorite dessert and she’s still not talking to me” Minhyun asked, desperate. Those things always worked for him so now that they’re not, Minhyun is completely clueless and in panic mode.

“Hyung… think about why she’s upset… stop trying to work around the actual problem. Roses and cheesecakes? Those things don’t change the fact that you’re not putting her first” Daniel commented. “You know what you have to do.”

Minhyun sighed, Daniel was right. He needed to let Sayoung know she’s just as important to him as work. He’ll put her first, at least until she’s no longer mad at him anyways.  “Thank for always looking out for me, little bro” Minhyun smiled.

“It’s not just you I’m looking out for” Daniel furthered “I care about Sayoung as well and I don’t like seeing her sad.”

Minhyun gave Daniel an ok sign with his fingers “I won’t make her sad anymore” Minhyun reassured Daniel. “Oh, by the way, do you have time later? Let’s go out for dinner.” Minhyun requested.

-At the restaurant

Daniel can’t help but noticed how suspicious Minhyun’s been acting ever since they sat down. They’ve gone to this restaurant every week, to the point that they know everything on the menu, yet Minhyun was looking through the menu as if it’s his first time seeing it… like he was buying time.

Suddenly, Minhyun looked up from the menu and jolted his hand up to wave someone over. “Nayoon!” Minhyun hollered.

Daniel turned around to see who Minhyun was reacting to and saw a girl with brown curly hair, wearing a white skater dress with red high heels, walking towards them. As she walked by, guys were turning their heads to check her out. She was gorgeous, even Daniel could acknowledge that. Still, she didn’t take his breathe away the way Sayoung did when they first met.

 “Hey! What a coincidence” Nayoon greeted Minhyun as she arrived then smiled shyly at Daniel.

“Daniel, this is Nayoon, she’s one of my coworkers at the law firm. You guys met a while back when my colleagues came to your restaurant for a get-together.” Minhyun introduced.

Daniel couldn’t really recall her, but it would be impolite to say he didn’t remember. “Ah yes, Nayoon, it’s nice to see you again” Daniel greeted her with a handshake.

“Why don’t you join us?” Minhyun said then suddenly pulled out a chair for her to sit. Daniel looked at Minhyun and came to the realization that this was a set up. A blind date.

Daniel was annoyed by Minhyun’s deceitfulness. He knew how much Daniel hated blind dates.

“Minhyun, a moment?” Daniel muttered as he got up from his seat and motioned Minhyun to follow him.

“Crap” Minhyun thought to himself as he trailed behind Daniel.

“Really? A blind date?!” Daniel said as they arrived at the restroom and out of Nayoon’s sight. He didn’t want to offend her, afterall, it wasn’t her fault.

“Technically… it’s not a blind date. She’s met you before and she knows you’ll be here” Minhyun interjected, trying to justify his crime. “Come on, give it a chance. She’s been asking me about you ever since you guys met” Minhyun reasoned “you haven’t dated anyone for over 3 years”

Daniel thought about what Minhyun just said. It’s true… he’s been single for over 3 years, but that’s mainly due to the fact that he was too busy falling in love with his brother’s girlfriend.

“I’ll date when I meet someone I like” Daniel retorted. He gets that Minhyun was trying to help him, but he didn’t need it. Truth is, plenty of girls have shown their interest in him, it’s just all Daniel does whenever he meets a girl is compare them to Sayoung. Their smile isn’t as mesmerizing as hers, their scent isn’t as enticing, their hair isn’t as shiny, their skin doesn’t glow as much, and their heart isn’t as warm. All the girls that’s shown interest in Daniel have one thing in common, they weren’t Sayoung, and that was a dealbreaker for him.

“Hear me out first… Nayoon is literally the female version of you. She loves cooking, she loves cats, and she loves comic books. I cannot think of another person more perfect for you.” Minhyun reasoned.

Daniel could think of another person more perfect for him… Sayoung.

“Come on, think about it! You and Nayoon, Sayoung and I, we can go on double dates. It’s not just me that thinks this, this was also Sayoung’s idea.” Minhyun continued, not realizing that his last 5 words nearly tore Daniel’s heart to pieces.

Daniel’s felt a wash of disappointment rushed over him as he replayed Minhyun’s words in his head “ _it was also Sayoung’s idea”_. So Sayoung was in on this set up? She wanted him to start seeing Nayoon as well?

Daniel understood that there was nothing wrong with her wanting that for him, if anything, it’s because she wants him to be happy, but still… he couldn’t help but felt resentment. He resented her for wanting to see him with someone else, he resented her for wanting them to go on double dates, he resented her for seeing him as a little brother and not minding if he falls in love with another person. How could she just tell him to go fall in love with someone else?!?! Was he being an inconvenience to her? Was he too much of a third wheel between her relationship with Minhyun? Sure… Daniel is completely aware that he’s being unreasonable, afterall, Sayoung has no idea he’s in love with her, but still… it was cruel. She was cruel. 

“I see…” Daniel muttered over his breath. “Fine” he said before heading back to the table where Nayoon sat, waiting for them.

“Sorry about that” Daniel apologized as he sat down. Nayoon smiled in return, reassuring him that it was ok. She knew Daniel didn’t know about this and figured he might get upset over it, but she also knew once Daniel gets to know her, he’ll change his mind.

Minhyun came seconds later, cellphone in his hand. “Hey, something came up. I have to go” Minhyun lied before rushing off. Daniel glared at him as he left the restaurant… does he have to be THAT obvious? Especially since they both know it’s a set up already? He just made everything more awkward.  

Nayoon began chuckling over what just happened, causing Daniel to chuckle as well.

“He’s so bad at this” Nayoon giggled.

“Let’s just say he’s definitely does not have a career in acting.” Daniel smiled.

Nayoon looked at Daniel’s smiling face and felt giddy. He fits everything on her checklist. Handsome, check. Tall, check. Monolid, check. Great smile, check. Can cook, check. A career, check. However, those shallow things aren’t the reasons why she developed a crush on him.

-Flashback to 3 weeks ago

At Daniel’s Restaurant

“Wow, I can’t believe you got us a reservation here! I heard the waiting list for this place is more than 3 months, and even then, they’re very picky with who they serve” Nayoon said as they sat down at their table. With her were Minhyun and a couple other colleagues from the law firm.

Minhyun smiled, “I’ll let you in on a little secret” he whispered proudly “my brother is the head chef here.”

Just then, Nayoon saw a figure come towards them. He was tall, had ridiculously long legs, very broad shoulders, and when he smiled as he saw Minhyun, Nayoon felt her heart fluttering. He had the world’s most adorable smile. He went from a manga character to a puppy within a span of a second.

“Hyung!” the figure greeted Minhyun with a hug. Nayoon stood there and stared at him, still completely in awe. His white apron and chef hat made him even hotter. She loves a guy in uniform.  

“This is my step brother, Daniel. He’s the head chef I was telling you guys about” Minhyun bragged as he swung his arm over Daniel shoulders, proud of how amazing his brother was. Afterall, it’s rare for one to become the head chef at such a lucrative place, at just the age of 25.

“Nice to meet you” Daniel greeted everyone at the table with a warm smile. Nayoon was not alone in her swooning. The females from other tables were also staring at Daniel dreamingly, it was clear they weren’t just there for the delicious food, but also for the delicious eye-candy.

Daniel then proceeded to tell them about the menu as Nayoon hung onto his every word. His voice was like honey to her ears… deep, husky, and manly. After he was done, Daniel gave them a few minutes to decided then bid them farewell once they placed their order, promising to return with their delicious meal once he’s done preparing for them. Nayoon sat there with anticipation, she loved food, but her anticipation was for him.

-20 minutes later

“Careful, the plates are super hot” Daniel said as he and another waiter set the plates of food in front of them.

Nayoon, completely distracted by Daniel to heed his warning, grabbed the plate and instantly felt the heat burning her fingers. “Ah!” she yelped as she quickly retracted her hand from the plate. Next thing she knew, she felt the warmness of someone’s hand on hers, followed by a cold sensation to her burned fingers.

“You must be really excited to eat” Daniel smiled as he held onto her hand with his left hand, while pressing a cold towel against her burned fingers with his right hand.

Nayoon felt a jolt of electricity ran all throughout her body. The warmness of his touch versus the cooling sensation of the towel was such a contrast. Nayoon looked up at Daniel, who was completely concentrated on her wound. Damn, he is so hot.

Daniel slowly removed the cold towel to examine the damage, other than being slightly red, her fingers were fine.

“You’ll survive” he chuckled as he handed her hand back to her, much to Nayoon’s disappointment. “Here, leave it on your fingers for about 5 minutes” he instructed as he handed her the cold towel.

Just like that, Nayoon fell for him, hard. She began bothering Minhyun and Sayoung every single day until they finally agreed to set them up.

-End of flashback

 “So… what’s good here?” Nayoon asked.

“Well…” Daniel opened the menu to look at it “rather than me recommending you the things I like, why don’t you tell me what are some foods that you like, and we can go from there?” Daniel answered.

Nayoon felt touched by what he just said. When she goes on date with guys, they would just order her whatever THEY think is good, this is the first time someone has asked her what she likes. He’s already surpassed every guy she knows despite only interacting with him for 10 minutes thus far.

“Well, I love anything with beef or ramen” Nayoon pointed out “I also really like to mix my spicy ramen with my black bean noodles”.

Daniel’s eyes widen… this was something he did, and he’s never met anyone who did the same thing. Even Sayoung, who had a lot of things in common with him, thought that mixing those two items were gross. “Really?” Daniel said, shocked. “I thought I’m the only one who did that!” he exclaimed.

“You too?!” Nayoon joined in on the shock “do you also happen to really love jellies and seaweed lavers?” she asked.

Daniel couldn’t believe his ears. How could someone share so much of his tastes in food?

Perhaps Minhyun was right afterall. “Wow… you’re like my food soulmate” Daniel smiled, happy to find a kindred spirit.

So just like that, Daniel and Nayoon spent the rest of the evening talking away, bonding over every little thing they have in common. Daniel, for once, did not think about Sayoung for an entire hour, a new record.

-Back at the apartment

Minhyun slipped a letter under Sayoung’s door then knocked on it to get her attention. In it was a promise that he will completely leave his phone off when they’re together and an apology for being a complete idiot.

Sayoung sighed. She is an incredibly strong-minded person until it comes to Minhyun. For some reason, when she’s with him, she resorts back to a teenager who’s completely head-over-heel over a boy.

Still, she can’t let him back in that easily. “Go away” she said as she opened the door to Minhyun, who stood there, pouting.

“Please forgive this idiot one last time. I promise you… I will turn off my phone completely when we’re on a date.” Minhyun pleaded.

Sayoung glared at him, deciding if she can take his words for it “what happens if it’s an emergency?” Sayoung asked.

Minhyun held Sayoung’s hands and kissed her forehead “Who cares if it is” he answered, knowing that’s exactly what Sayoung wanted to hear. And he was right as a smile soon crept on Sayoung’s face. She was once again a fool for Hwang Minhyun.

“Promise?” she asked as she puts out her pinky.

“Promise” Minhyun answered, hooking his pinky to hers.


	5. The New Dynamic

Minhyun had been spending the next couple of weeks being the best possible boyfriend to win back Sayoung’s love. He drove her to and from work every day. He brought her her favorite foods. He’d shower her with flowers and attention. Most of all, he’d turn off his phone every time they’re on a date, proving that he’s staying true to his words.  

On the other hand, Daniel and Nayoon began seeing each other more often. Nayoon was an incredible girl and with her, Daniel felt relaxed. Sure, his heart doesn’t leap out of his chest every time he sees her the way it does when he sees Sayoung, and sure… her smile doesn’t make him feel like everything is ok with the world, but perhaps with time, it could. At least, that’s what Daniel is hoping for.

-At Breakfast

Daniel, Sayoung, and Minhyun were having their usual breakfast get-together at the boys’ apartment when the topic of Nayoon came up.

“So….” Sayoung smiled “Minhyun told me you and Nayoon started seeing each other” she teased.

Even though it shouldn’t be weird, Daniel felt uncomfortable talking to Sayoung about it. Like he did something wrong and she had caught him red-handed.

“We’re just getting to know each other” Daniel said then tried to change the conversation “is it me or is this pancake a bit lumpy?”

Sayoung chuckled at how awkward Daniel was acting. For the past 3 years that she’s known him, Daniel’s been completely single and uninterested in dating, in fact, she started wondering if perhaps he’s gay. So, him seeing Nayoon was interesting for her. And since Nayoon and her are friends, she’s quite familiar with the type of girl that Nayoon was. Someone who’s incredibly cheerful and sweet, just like Daniel. That’s why she encouraged Minhyun to set them up on that blind date.

“So… have you guys held hands yet?” Minhyun joined in on the teasing. “you better pay me a fee if you did. I’m 99% responsible for your relationship.”

Daniel scoffed in disbelief at them ganging up on him “relationship?! We barely started talking for a couple of weeks” he interjected.

Sayoung ruffled his hair like she always does “little kid, it’s 2018, people are dating and even having sex after just meeting for an hour. A couple of weeks is a long time”

Daniel, annoyed by the pestering, spoke without thinking “You and Minhyun didn’t date until 2 months after you guys met each other, and you haven’t even had sex” he blurted then instantly regretted it.

Minhyun and Sayoung both got flustered over Daniel’s sudden outburst. He had brought up the elephant in the room. Ever since that fight, Sayoung and Minhyun never went back to that stage in their relationship where she was ready to take it to the next level. Minhyun had broken her trust and so far, he hasn’t regained it fully.

Minhyun lightly hit Daniel on the back of the head, playfully reprimanding him “Yah…” he said to let Daniel know he crossed the line.

“Sorry” Daniel muttered. The air in the room suddenly became stale, no one said a word after Daniel’s sudden verbal diarrhea. Daniel knew he had to say something to get them back to normal. “Nayoon is a sweet girl… she’s beautiful, smart, funny…” he admitted then looked at Sayoung teasingly “plus she can cook.”

Sayoung returned his smirk with a glare. She was not amused at the sudden dig, but she was happy he had so many good things to say about Nayoon. She wanted Daniel to be happy.

“but…” Daniel continued “there’s no spark” he confessed.

“Well, you guys haven’t even held hands, of course there’s no spark” Minhyun butted in while Sayoung nodded in agreement. They were back to teaming up on him.

“When Minhyun and I first started talking, it was a bit awkward as well. Then we went on a date to the amusement park and that’s when he held my hand for the first time. I had butterflies in my stomach then and there, that’s how I knew I wanted to be with him” Sayoung said then looked at Minhyun lovingly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Daniel pretended to gag and looked away. It was a way for him to avoid their couple-ly moment without having to make it obvious that he was jealous. Still, no matter how many kisses he’s witnessed between them, it never stops feeling like there’s a needle stabbing at his heart.

“That’s a great idea, babe!” Minhyun exclaimed “let’s take them to the amusement park! We can experience our first date again while they have theirs!” he said excitedly.

Sayoung looked at him and gave him a high five for the genius idea while Daniel facepalmed. They were getting too invested in HIS relationship.

“I’ll call Nayoon and see if she’s free!” Sayoung said then whipped out her phone and ran to a different room to call Nayoon, preventing Daniel from stopping her.

“Nayoon!” Sayoung greeted loudly over the phone “listen, Minhyun, Daniel and I were just talking about going to the amusement park today. You’re off today, right?” Sayoung asked enthusiastically.

“Great!!! Let’s meet there around 7PM.” Sayoung finalized the plan than hung up. She looked at Daniel in excitement “oh my god!!! Double date!!!” she squealed while Daniel groaned in annoyance.

\- At the Amusement Park

“Nayoon!” Sayoung shouted and waved as she caught a glimpse of Nayoon walking by.

“Unni!” Nayoon ran up to Sayoung and greeted her with a hug. “Hey Minhyun” she waved. “Hey Daniel” she added, as she shyly tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“Hey Nayoon” Daniel smiled, causing Sayoung and Minhyun to look at each other and secretly giggled at how awkward they were.

“Quickly! Let’s go to the Haunted House. I heard there’s a storm that’s coming so they might close down soon” Sayoung bellowed then began dragging Daniel, Minhyun, and Nayoon by the arms.

“Not this again” Daniel groaned. He wasn’t afraid of the Haunted House but he’s gone there with Sayoung before. She may seem gutsy now, but she becomes a complete screaming mess once she steps inside. She’d hang onto his body like a leech because she’s too afraid to move on her own, she’d scream into his ears, nearly rupturing it, or worst, she’d literally kick and punch every time a ghost pops out, and those kicks and punches just ends up on him instead. Daniel’s body was sore and bruised by the time they got home. The only thing scary about the Haunted House was Sayoung.

“Come on… I promise I won’t freak out this time” Sayoung pleaded. Daniel sighed, he knew she would absolutely freak out again, but he can never tell her no.

\---

They entered the Haunted Mansion and right off the bat, Sayoung began screaming at the top of her lungs, despite there being nothing there. The scary part hadn’t even started, they were still just at the entrance.

“So much for not freaking out” Daniel grinned.

“Yah… my scream was a lot quieter than before” Sayoung retaliated as she held onto Minhyun’s arm and walked behind him, using his body as a shield.  

Nayoon smiled, she’s actually not afraid but this was a great opportunity to get closer to Daniel, with that, she also held onto Daniel’s arm.

They began walking deeper into the house and headed towards a room filled with coffins.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!!” Sayoung cried “NO!!! I want to go back” she said as she planted her feet into the ground, refusing to budge.

“It’s ok, I’m here” Minhyun reassured her and held onto her tighter.

“Oh god, why did I insist on this!” Sayoung continued to yell while closing her eyes, letting Minhyun lead the way.

Suddenly, a ghost jumped out of the coffin and began running towards them, causing Sayoung to unconsciously jump out of Minhyun’s arm and ran to Daniel, bumping Nayoon out of the way in the process.

“AHHHHHH! Get it away!” Sayoung screamed as she hugged Daniel so tight it nearly knocked the wind out of him.

“And it starts” Daniel laughed as he hugged her back, pressing her face into his chest so that she can’t see the ghost next to them and covering her ears so she won’t hear the ghost grunting and sceaming. Still, the moment their body touched, Daniel felt a jolt of electricity running through his body followed by a rush of adrenaline. Nayoon had been holding onto him this entire time and he didn’t feel a single thing, yet at just the slightest touch from Sayoung, Daniel felt like all the oxygen in the room had left. Or… maybe it’s just because she’s squeezing him so hard he can hardly breathe. Still, he could stand there and hug her forever, even if it meant dying from the lack of oxygen.  

Nayoon rolled her eyes in disbelief at the sight in front of her. Did her seriously just left her and held onto another girl? Did Sayoung just seriously pushed her out of the way? What kind of a show are they trying to put on here?

Minhyun was also bothered by what just happened; when Sayoung truly got scared, she went for Daniel. Sure, he knew they are close and he’s glad they that they are… but sometimes, they are a bit too closed. To the point that Sayoung talks to Daniel more than him, and now… running to Daniel instead of him.

“Today will be the day that I’ll die” Sayoung cried as she continued hugging onto Daniel for dear life.

Daniel couldn’t help but cackle over her ridiculous statement “you can join the ghosts in haunting this place then” he teased. Suddenly, Daniel felt a hand tugging on his shirt and someone’s face planted behind his back. It was Nayoon, she was also freaking out.

“Daniel… I’m scared” Nayoon whimpered as she held onto him.

Minhyun saw this and grabbed onto Sayoung in order to give Nayoon and Daniel their space. It was also his excuse to take Sayoung back since seeing Sayoung holding onto Daniel so tightly was really bothering him.

With Sayoung out of Daniel’s arms, Nayoon quickly rushed in to replace her position. She hugged him tightly and buried her face into his chest. Daniel, seeing this, held onto her because she was clearly frightened.

Sayoung still had her eyes closed, however, she finally opened them when the ghost went back to its coffin. That when from the side of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Daniel and Nayoon, standing there hugging. Daniel was wrapping his arms around her while Nayoon held onto him tightly. An odd sensation washed over her… it was her idea to set Daniel and Nayoon up with each other, it was her who thought they’d make an adorable couple, however, at the sight of them together, Sayoung felt a weird feeling in her gut. It was weird to see Daniel hug someone…

They continued the rest of the mansion then finally reached the exit. Sayoung was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn’t even freak out the rest of the time. Even when the ghost jumped out at her, she was preoccupied with watching Nayoon and Daniel that she didn’t even react. It was weird… she just couldn’t stop looking at them. As they exit the mansion, Sayoung finally caught sight of Daniel’s and Nayoon’s hands. Their fingers were intertwined.

Minhyun nudged at Sayoung then pointed to Daniel and Nayoon “look, they’re holding hands” he snickered. Sayoung let out a small laughter in return but once more, her stomach felt weird at the sight of that.

Daniel looked at his hand, which is now connected to Nayoon’s hand. It was weird holding hand with someone he didn’t really have feelings for. She had slipped her hand into his’s towards the end of haunted house, and well… he couldn’t reject her. Plus, why should he reject her? He needed to see if he can move on. No… he has to move on. Fawning over Sayoung for the past 3 years, it’s just wasn’t healthy. So he held onto Nayoon’s hand, because as selfish as it was, he knew he couldn’t hold onto Sayoung’s.

They went on a couple more rides before ending up at the Ferris wheel. Nayoon and Minhyun decided to stay behind due to their fear of height, so instead, Daniel and Sayoung went together.

“Whoa, it sure is getting windier” Sayoung commented before entering the one of the Ferris Wheel’s car with Daniel.

-On the Ferris Wheel

“So how’s it going with Nayoon?” Sayoung grinned “I saw you guys holding hands” she teased as she looked at Daniel, who was sitting next to her.

“It’s going good” Daniel answered dryly, not knowing what else to say.

“So… do you feel the sparks now?” Sayoung asked, a bit nervous to hear his response.

“I’m starting to” he answered. And that was the truth, sure… he’s not crazy about her, but she was growing on him. There’s nothing to not like about Nayoon.

Sayoung smiled, she was glad Daniel can find happiness, even if it made her feel weird. Sayoung copped her feeling weird to her being used to seeing Daniel by himself. She was just adjusting to the new dynamic.

“I’m really glad you’ve found someone” Sayoung said as she tousled his hair once again, knowing it’ll annoy Daniel “my little kid is growing up!”

Daniel glared at her in annoyance then turned his attention back to the view outside. They were now at the very top of the ride. Daniel looked down to the ground below him, the people there looked like ants.

Suddenly, heavy wind caused the Ferris Wheel to move back and forth roughly, frightening the passengers, Sayoung included.

“Oh my god, we’re going to die!” she screamed in a panic.

“Stop saying we’re going to die over every little thing” Daniel facepalmed. Sayoung was high on the overdramatic spectrum.

“You say that now… watch your last words be “ _Sayoung, you were right_ …” as we plunged into our death” Sayoung whined as she gripped into the side of the car for more support.

“Pretty sure if I die tonight, my last words would be “ _Sayoung, I died because you annoyed me to death_.” Daniel struck back.

Sayoung was about to punch Daniel in the arm when another gust of wind sent their ride rocking even more vigorously.

“AHHH!” Sayoung screamed as she rolled to Daniel’s side due to the force, squishing him against the wall of the car. Daniel quickly held onto Sayoung shoulder with his left hand to prevent the turbulence from knocking her over while gripping onto the side of the car with his right.

“That storm must be coming through” he commented. “Whose smart idea was it to go on the Ferris Wheel again?” Daniel glared at Sayoung. The smart idea came from her, of course.

The raging wind continued to knock their car back and forth, each attack created an even bigger energy dispersion. The crowd from the ground watched in terror as the cars tilted at an almost 90-degree.

“Daniel, I’m scared” Sayoung cried, holding onto him as tightly as possible.

“Sh… it’s ok” he reassured her, even though deep down, he’s quite afraid himself.

“Daniel, in case we die, you need to know this… I’m the one who accidentally left your hamster cage open and that’s why he ran away” Sayoung cried, still gripping onto Daniel, who was gripping onto the wall even harder than before due to how hard they were swinging back and forth.

“I knew it!!!” Daniel yelled “I can’t believe I let you convince me into thinking that he knew how to open the cage himself!”

“Oh my god!” Sayoung screeched as the strong wind blew the door from their car wide open. Had Daniel not hold onto her, she would’ve fallen out. The flapping door then smacked the side of the car, creating a terrifying bang every time it came into contact with the metal side. Suddenly, Daniel and Sayoung watched as the door broke off and fell to the ground, 200 feet below, creating another loud bang as it hits the surface. The crowd on the ground joined in on the screaming, startled and afraid for the faith of the passengers currently on board the Ferris Wheel.

“Hang tight” Daniel instructed as he gripped onto her even harder while he used his legs to wedge their body between the two walls. “Just close your eyes and think about good things… we’re about to come back down to the ground”.

Sayoung did as Daniel said. She closed her eyes, held onto him as tightly as she could, and thought about good things. She thought kitties and the beach. She thought about that day Daniel taught her how to cook and how they ended up in a flour battle. She thought about watching scary movies together with him. And she thought about that hug they shared in front of her apartment. Thinking about those things did help calm her down.

Suddenly, Sayoung felt the ride come to a halt. “We’re here” Daniel patted her back and said through his low husky voice. Sayoung opened her eyes and adjusted to her new surrounding. They were now safely on the ground.

Daniel climbed out of the car then gestured for Sayoung’s hand. Her knees were still shaking from the fear as she got up, luckily, Daniel was there to support her. Once they’re completely out of the car, Sayoung looked back at their car to see the damage. The door was completely gone and tore off some of the car with it as it fell. The side of the car was all dented up due to the door hitting it so hard several times.

Sayoung was in so much shock while she was on the ride that she didn’t have time to process it until now. Suddenly, a surge of emotions rushed over her. She was on the brink of death. Sayoung, grateful that Daniel was by her side, like he’s always been, threw her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, Daniel” she cried.

Daniel smiled and hugged her back, “we’re ok now” he whispered as he gently patted the back of her head, calming her.

“Dear valued customer, due to the incoming storm, Lotte World rides are officially shut down. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please make you way to the nearest exit for your refund.” Said a voice through the speaker.

“Uh… guys?” Minhyun asked, confused as he and Nayoon walked up to them. They had gone to the food court and missed the entire thing, so watching the current situation with Daniel and Sayoung embracing each other was really puzzling.

Daniel quickly let go of his grip on Sayoung and returned her to Minhyun’s side.

“Hey, she’s just freaking out because the ride we went on got really rough” Daniel explained, reassuring Minhyun that it’s not what it looks like.

“Babe, are you ok?” Minhyun asked as he walked over to her and held her.

“I think so…” Sayoung sniffled through her tears as she hugged Minhyun back in return. However, his hug wasn’t as comforting. She felt safer in Daniel’s arms.

Sayoung then watched as Nayoon walked over to Daniel and held his hand.

“Oppa, are you hurt anywhere?” Nayoon asked Daniel as she spun him around to examine the damage.

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. “I’m ok” he chuckled then ruffled her hair playfully.

Sayoung felt a knot in her stomach. Being knocked back and forth on that ride must be the reason why she’s now feeling nauseous…


	6. The First Argument

 -A few days later

Daniel and Sayoung were hanging out in his apartment and doing their usual routine of watching a movie together on Netflix while eating fried chicken when suddenly, the door opened and in walked Minhyun and Nayoon, smiling gleefully. Daniel wasn’t confused to see Minhyun, afterall, they share the apartment, but what was Nayoon doing there? Did they have a date that he forgot about?

 “Hey guys!!!” Minhyun greeted cheerfully as he closed the door then dangled a set of keys back and forth in front of their faces “look what I got!”

Daniel and Sayoung looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, why is he so excited about a set of keys?

“They’re keys to a BEACH HOUSE~~!!!” he sang as he began grabbing Sayoung and Daniel by the shoulders and shaking them to get them excited. “We’re going to the beach!!!”  

“Seriously?!” Sayoung screamed in excitement as she held Minhyun’s hand and started jumping up and down. She’s been talking about taking a trip to the beach since forever but nothing ever came out of it. “But how did you get a beach house?” she asked in the midst of her excitement.

 “This huge client of mine was so grateful I won his case for him and offered up his beach house to me for 3 days” Minhyun smiled proudly, beaming from ear to ear.

“Yep. It has 4 rooms too… so guess who’s coming along!?” Nayoon grinned as she pointed to herself. When she heard about Minhyun getting a beach house for 3 days and how it had four rooms, she knew she had to latch onto him and dropped every hint possible until Minhyun had to invite her along. Daniel was taking it way too slow with her and if it was up to him, he probably wouldn’t had invited her. And she was right.

Like Sayoung, Daniel was also dying to go to the beach, however, Nayoon joining them on the trip, he’s not too crazy about that idea. They just barely started dating for a couple of weeks and now they’re going on an overnight vacation together? Granted, they’ll have their own room, but Daniel felt like it was moving way too fast. He’s still not over…

Sensing Daniel’s discomfort, Nayoon marched up to him and held his hands “Oppa, you’re ok with me coming, right?” she pouted. She knew he’d wouldn’t be able to say no, even if he’s not ok with it. After all, Daniel is a gentleman and he wouldn’t say no to her in front of Minhyun and Sayoung, it would embarrass her.

She was right, once again.

“Sure” Daniel answered reluctantly as he gave her a weak smile.  

-That Evening, at Sayoung’s house

Knock knock

“Nayoon wants to know if you have any sunblock” Daniel asked as he marched into her living room, hands in pockets, like it’s his own place.

For some reason, that annoyed her. Not even a hello? He came over here just to ask for something for Nayoon?

“Hello to you too” Sayoung greeted him sarcastically as she closed the door then turned around and crossed her arms.

Daniel walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up the bag of chips Sayoung was eating and began popping them in his mouth “Since when do we say hello when we see each other?” he pointed, mouth still full of chips.  “You never say hi to me when you come to my place either” he countered while continuing to crunch on the chips obnoxiously.

Sayoung knew he had a point, but she’s annoyed with him and she doesn’t know why. She went up to Daniel then grabbed the chips away from his hands, much to his dismay.

“I might but I don’t know where I left them. You can look around if you want” Sayoung answered as she placed the chips in a cabinet, preventing Daniel from eating more of them. He doesn’t deserve to eat her chip right now.

Still… something was bothering Sayoung ever since she left their apartment. She had to get it off her chest. “I didn’t know you and Nayoon were at that point in your relationship to be going on an overnight trip already” Sayoung said as she watched Daniel walked around, opening cabinets and looking for the sunblock in every nooks and crevices. He sure is working hard to make Nayoon happy, Sayoung thought.

“Well… like you said, it’s 2018. People even have sex on the first date now” Daniel retorted, totally saying it as a joke. Except Sayoung didn’t hear is as one.

“Wow…” Sayoung opened her mouth in disbelief and rolled her eyes. “Kang Daniel. I didn’t realize you’re that type of guy” she scoffed.

Daniel paused his search for the sunblock to look at Sayoung. She looked totally piss. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Was she pissed because of something Minhyun did?

“Nothing.” Sayoung answered curtly “I’m just surprise how much you’re like all the other guys. I thought you were better than that” she inserted.

Sayoung’s sudden attack caught Daniel completely off guard. He was CLEARLY joking when he said it, and Sayoung, out of anyone in this world, should know when he’s joking. She can read him like a book. She can’t possibly be mad at his JOKE, right?

“I was clearly kidding” Daniel stated, still not sure why Sayoung is acting so hostile “but even if I wasn’t. You were the one who told me I shouldn’t take things so slow, remember?” Daniel pointed out once more.

Sayoung bit her lips in annoyance. Yes, she did tell him that… but… ugh! Whatever, Kang Daniel is so annoying.

“I’m glad Minhyun isn’t like you” Sayoung blurted out then closed her eyes and groaned at herself for saying something so mean. Even she was aware of how bitchy and uncalled for that was and had no idea where that came from. Sayoung looked at Daniel in hopes that he’d let it slide, or better yet, he didn’t hear it.

Too bad he did hear it, and he’s not letting it slide. Daniel looked right at her, completely pissed.

“What’s your problem?” Daniel asked, irritated.

Sayoung knew she was in the wrong and that she should apologize. And that’s exactly what she intended to do.

Except she didn’t. “I don’t have a problem. What’s yours?” she retaliated.

Daniel looked at her like she’s possessed. In fact, she must be, why else is she acting so damn immature and grumpy for no reason? “You know what. I’ll just get one from the store instead” Daniel said, fed up, before walking out the door and slamming it behind him.

-The next day

“Wah, it’s so peaceful and quiet in here” Minhyun said as they were driving to the beach house. Sayoung was sitting next to him in the passenger seat while Daniel and Nayoon sat in the back. 

“What’s wrong with you guys? I can’t ever get you to stop talking to one another” Minhyun continued as he quickly glanced at Daniel and Sayoung, who were both just looking outside the window, before turning his attention back to the road.

Daniel and Sayoung both pretended like they didn’t hear his question. Ever since their argument yesterday, Daniel and Sayoung haven’t said a single word to each other. It was their first argument ever and they’re both not used to this new experience. Sayoung’s been wanting to apologize to him but her pride is in the way and so far, they haven’t had a minute to themselves. Nayoon’s been stuck to Daniel like a leech. Daniel, on the other hand, was still upset with what Sayoung said to him last night. What could he possibly have done that’s so bad, that she’s glad Minhyun isn’t like him? For the past 3 years that he’s known her, Daniel has done nothing but be there for her whenever she needed him. Yes, he was still very angry.

Despite her and Daniel not being in speaking term right, Sayoung couldn’t help but looked in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of him. In hindsight, she wished she hadn’t, because what she saw was Nayoon resting her head on Daniel’s shoulder.

That gut wrenching she felt before was back again.

\----

They arrived at the condo after a 3 hours’ drive and settled in their own room. Since Daniel couldn’t get out of work until 6PM, by the time they got there, it was around 9PM and swimming at the beach at that time meant swimming with sharks. With that, Minhyun headed to bed early due to the long drive and also because he’s an early sleeper.

Sayoung on the other hand, was a night owl and doesn’t sleep any earlier than midnight. That’s another reason why she and Daniel got along so well, they both sleep late so when Minhyun goes to bed early, they would hang out and watch Netflix together.

Today is one of the day she wished she’s an early sleepy though, because the sound of Nayoon giggling in Daniel’s room, which was right next to hers and only separated by a thin wall, was driving her insane.

-In Daniel’s room

“I can’t believe how goofy you look with glasses on” Nayoon laughed while holding on to her stomach. She had come in to ask him to help her with her laptop (an excuse) and had been hanging around ever since.

“Hey, I’ve been told I’m even 10 times more handsome in glasses” Daniel smiled while laying on his bed.

“Well… I don’t know about 10 times more handsome… but you certainly are handsome” Nayoon said, suddenly changing their joking tone to a flirtatious one. She then walked over and joined Daniel on the bed, laying down next to him. “Hm… your bed is comfy” she said then turned to her side to look at Daniel.

Daniel gulped.

“I’m really glad we’re on this trip together” Nayoon whispered “to be honest, I felt like we were taking things a little bit too slow” she said as she scooted closer to Daniel.

“Daniel…” Nayoon continued “I don’t bite” she said as she inched closer to his face, inviting him to kiss her. Or more.

Daniel was torn. Here was a girl, a gorgeous girl, waiting for him to do things to her, yet his body couldn’t move. It’s not like he’s never kissed anybody before. Hell, he’s not even a virgin. Why is he so obsessed over someone that he can’t even hold hands with, when here’s someone who’s completely ok with him doing more than that?

Flustered, Daniel hopped out of bed in order to avoid her advances. “I’m thirsty! Are you thirsty? I’ll go get us some water” he said before blazing out the room as if it’s on fire. Nayoon sat up on the bed and looked at his disappearing figure in complete shock. Did he just reject her? And doing such a tacky job at that?

Daniel came back moments later, water bottles in hand. He had practice a speech in his head while he was outside… he was going to tell her he’s starting to feel sleepy and hint to her they have a long day tomorrow so she should go back to her room and sleep as well, however, when he walked back in, Nayoon was gone. She had gone back to her room, clearly upset over what Daniel just did. Daniel let out a sigh of relief… he felt bad, but he was glad she was gone at the same time.

Curious, Daniel peeked over to Sayoung’s room. She’s awfully quiet and since it’s barely 9 PM, Sayoung certainly wasn’t asleep. Them not talking to each other for almost 2 days now was driving Daniel crazy. He missed her. The sound of her voice, her little giggle, her annoying ruffling of his hair. Daniel was still pissed at the things she said to him, but him missing her overpowered him being upset with her. Once again, Daniel was a fool in love.

“Sayoung…?” Daniel said as he stuck his head in her room to find it completely empty.

“Where did she go?” he thought to himself as he wondered around the house to search for signs of her. Suddenly, he realized that her sandals were missing.

\---

Sayoung had been sitting on the sand for the past 10 minutes, bathing under the moonlight as she listened to the waves crashing into the shore. It was nice… the beach is so noisy and full of people in the morning, but at night, it felt like she owned the whole place. Her own private paradise. Sayoung closed her eyes, taking in the moment, when suddenly… a huge wad of sand landed on her face.

“YAH!” Sayoung shot up to look for the person responsible for committing such a heinous crime. “Kang Daniel!” she screamed as she saw Daniel had taken a spot next to her in the sand and laughing his ass off.

“That’s for yesterday” Daniel smirked as he laid down in the cool sand and supported his head with both his arms.

As annoyed as Sayoung was for what he just did, she deserved that and she knew it.

“Fine…” Sayoung backed down. “I will let that go since I was such a raging ass yesterday” she admitted. She was glad Daniel had forgiven her, she had this whole speech prepared about how it’s almost that time of the month, she was too tired, and yada yada. Getting sand in the face was actually less painful than the speech she was going to give him.

“What brought you out here?” Sayoung asked as she wiped the stubborn sand off her face.

“You” Daniel answered bluntly.

Sayoung nearly choked on her spit. “M..e…?” she stuttered.

“I forgot my charger, I needed to borrow yours” Daniel lied, looking away from her and towards the ocean so she couldn’t tell that he was lying.

Sayoung scoffed. Of course he was there for her charger. Duh, what else would it be.

“Ugh! Dammit Daniel, I can’t get these damn sands off my face!” Sayoung whined as she continued her useless attempt at removing the stubborn grains of sands.

Daniel looked at her and couldn’t help but chuckle.  She was like a helpless kitten pawing at her face. “Seriously, I don’t know how you manage without me” Daniel grumbled as he sat up and cupped her cheeks to make her look his way. He then brought his face closer to hers in order to look for the sands. Still, even under the darkness of the night, where the only light provided were that of the moon and the stars, Daniel couldn’t help but be awe at how gorgeous she was. Her skin glowed as if there’s a light radiating from within her, her lips were a soft peach color with just the perfect amount of gloss on them, and even her cheeks had a natural flush to them that made her look even more adorable.  

“Close your eyes” he instructed then began wiping Sayoung’s face gently, sweeping the sand from her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, and finally, he stopped once he reached her lips, which still had some sands stuck to it. Daniel’s heart suddenly began beating like crazy. The thought of touching her lips drove him wild. He looked at Sayoung face whose eyes were still closed. If he were to take her lips onto his own right now, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. The thought of pressing his lips against hers made his heart beat even faster.

The pause from Daniel caused Sayoung opened her eyes, curious because Daniel had stopped dusting the sand off her, yet he was still holding her face. She blinked when she realized how close their faces were to each other.

“Are you done?” Sayoung asked, flustered.

“Not yet… there’s still your lips…” he answered as he swiped his thumb across her lips to remove the remaining sand particles. He then looked at her lips again. “Actually…” he whispered “there’s still some left.” With that, Daniel wrapped his arms around her and leaned in, connecting his lips to hers. He started out kissing her gently, allowing her to resist it if she wanted to, however, when he saw that she wasn’t fighting him, Daniel began to explore her lips. He traced his tongue across her lips and tasted the strawberry lip balm that she always wears. They tasted delicious and he was hungry for more. Daniel kissed her faster, more aggressive. Soon, Sayoung began returned his kiss. Their lips now interlocked with one another as they melted into each other’s mouth, each person exploring the other person’s tongue.

“Daniel…” Sayoung moaned with an odd echo.

…

…

…

“Daniel… hello… earth to Daniel. I said, are you done?” Sayoung echoed, breaking Daniel out of his daydream. Daniel had been sitting there holding her face for a while now and it’s starting to weird her out. Not to mention, it was making her heart go crazy.

Daniel quickly let go of his grip on Sayoung’s face then scooted back to put some distance between them. That was a close call.

“All done” he answered as he dusted the sand from his hands by clapping them together “there, now you’re back to being ugly” he teased with a smirk.

Sayoung glared at him, unamused. Suddenly, a grin crept on her face as she picked up a handful of sand.

“Don’t you dare, Kim Sayoung!” Daniel warned as he slowly backed away and got up on his feet.

“Ugly huh?” Sayoung hissed as she got up and began walking towards him, closing the distance between them. Suddenly, Daniel bolted, causing her to chase after him, sand still in her hands.

“YAH! Kim Sayoung!!! I’m sorry ok, I was just kidding” Daniel begged as he zigzagged back and forth to avoid her wrath. Sayoung might be short but she sure as hell as fast. With nowhere left to run, Daniel made a last-ditch effort, a pathetic attempt, to escape her. He ran into the ocean, thinking that Sayoung would give up. She didn’t.

“You think I won’t get you just because you ran into the water” Sayoung scowled as she followed him into the freezing water and caught up to him.

Daniel finally gave up, huffing and puffing as he put his arm between Sayoung and himself to stop her from coming any closer “Ok ok, I surrender!” he pleaded.

“Too late” Sayoung smiled as she walked towards him and swatted away his arm away. She grinned before dumping a huge pile of sand on his head then roared into a laughter when she was done. “OMO! A little island in the middle of a beach” she laughed as she pointed to the island of sand on top of Daniel’s head.

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh as well. He was glad they made up.

\---

After acting completely childish at the beach, Daniel and Sayoung finally went back to their beach house to change out and call it a night.

Daniel entered his room and paused when he saw Nayoon there, waiting for him.

“Where did you go?” She asked, her arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed. She was clearly upset with him.

“Oh? I thought you went to bed” Daniel greeted her. “I was at the beach with Sayoung” he answered, not knowing why Nayoon was seemingly upset with him. Unless she’s still mad that he left her earlier?

“You like Sayoung, don’t you?” Nayoon blurted, catching Daniel completely off guard.  

_______________________

Next chapter will be a big one. = P


	7. The Crossroad

Daniel stood there and looked at Nayoon, completely speechless. He’s kept this secret for so long, never even saying it out loud himself that it felt surreal to hear someone say it. It suddenly became a reality.

“I can tell by the way you look at her” Nayoon continued “it’s different from the way you look at anyone else. Different from the way you look at me.”

“Look…” Daniel sighed as he went to close the door, preventing Minhyun or Sayoung from overhearing their conversation “she’s my brother’s girlfriend.”

Nayoon rolled her eyes then looked at him in disbelief “you’re not even denying it?”

“Nayoon, I’m not sure what you want me to say. Sayoung is dating Minhyun, and I’m just like a little brother to her. There’s nothing going on between us.” Daniel explained.

“And if she’s not dating Minhyun? And if she didn’t see you as a little brother? Then what?” Nayoon questioned, her tone beginning to grow more frustrated.  Daniel stood there like a statue, unable to bring himself to utter a single response. He didn’t want to lie to her but he didn’t want to tell her the truth and risk it getting out either.

Except his silence gave away his truth.

“I see…” Nayoon fought back the tears that have begun welling in her eyes. “Kang Daniel… do you even have feelings for me?”

“I…” Daniel paused, reluctant to say the next sentence as he knew it would break her heart “I’m trying to…” he answered honestly then watched as the tears that Nayoon had been trying to hold back trickled down her face. Before he could say another word, Nayoon turned around and left his room, slamming the door behind her. Daniel stood there and looked at the closed door, feeling like a complete asshole for breaking such a sweet person’s heart.

Nayoon sadness quickly turned to fury. How could he say that to her when she’s been nothing but perfect to him?! She’s made herself into his ideal girl, she pretended to like cats even though she thinks they’re vile, she even lied and said she likes mixing her ramen with black bean noodles when it’s disgusting. She went through all the trouble of stalking his Instagram to pretend they have the same quirks, just for him to tell her he’s TRYING to fall for her? What kind of bullshit is that? No, she’s not sad, she’s livid.

Nayoon’s anger led her to the kitchen in search of water to cool herself down. However, she became even more annoyed as she encountered Sayoung, who was sitting in the living room watching tv and laughing at the comedic scene. It felt like she was laughing at her instead.

“Oh, hey Nayoon! Want to join me? This episode is hilarious!” Sayoung greeted her with her usual eye smile as she motioned Nayoon to join her on the couch by patting down the spot next to her.

“No thanks” Nayoon answered blankly as she walked towards the fridge to grab a bottle of water then slam the door aggressively, drawing Sayoung’s attention her way. Nayoon glared at her with lasers coming out of her eyes as she drank her water rapidly.

Sayoung was puzzled by this new look on Nayoon face, she was so accustomed to the cheerful Nayoon that she knew something was wrong. “What happened? Did Daniel piss you off?” Sayoung asked out of concern, not realizing her question triggered Nayoon even more, who did not like that Daniel’s name was coming out of Sayoung’s mouth.

“Everything is perfect” Nayoon replied sarcastically as she closed the water bottle.

Wanting to be a good friend, Sayoung made the next mistake. “If you need me to talk to him, I can…” Sayoung offered as she stood up from the couch and walked towards Nayoon, hoping to comfort her. “I know Daniel for 3 years now so I totally know how annoying he can get” she added.

Nayoon ran her fingers through her hair in annoyance then slammed the water bottle on the kitchen counter. Is she trying to show off how close she is to Daniel right now?

“I don’t need your help with Daniel” Nayoon remarked crassly as she raised her eyebrow at Sayoung “why don’t you worry about your own boyfriend? Or do you just like juggling two brothers?”

Sayoung looked at Nayoon like she must’ve gone crazy. Where was this coming from?

“Nayoon, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say…” Sayoung replied, giving Nayoon a chance to clarify herself. Surely, she can’t be implying what Sayoung thinks she’s trying to imply, right?

Nayoon scoffed “I’m saying… you’re pretty greedy. You have Minhyun and yet you’re trying to have Daniel as well”.

Sayoung placed her hand on Nayoon shoulder, hoping to reassure her and bring her back to her regular self “Look, I’m not sure what you think is going on between me and Daniel... but you must be confused. Daniel and I aren’t like that. We’re like brother and sister” she explained. Too bad Sayoung doesn’t know Nayoon’s regular self, because if she did, she’s realize that the Nayoon that she’s familiar with is not the true Nayoon. The true her is manipulative and conniving.

Suddenly, Nayoon’s angry expression disappeared and was replaced with an apologetic one instead as she burst into tears and hugged Sayoung “Unni…I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into me. It’s just… I’m really insecure with how close you and Daniel are.”

Sayoung hugged Nayoon in return and felt guilty for making Nayoon feel that way. Was she and Daniel too close? Was she making it too difficult for him and Nayoon to fully become a couple? “I didn’t realize this was something that was bothering you. I never even thought about it…” Sayoung said softly as she gently patted Nayoon’s back to calm her down.

“I’m sorry for taking it out on you. It’s just, I’m really trying to be closer to Daniel but whenever you guys are together, I feel like I’m the third person.” Nayoon continued crying, causing Sayoung to feel even worst.

Sayoung broke off their hug to look at Nayoon. “No, I’m the one that should be sorry” Sayoung stated as she brought her hands to Nayoon’s face to dry her eyes. “I’ll be more considerate of your feelings and I’ll give you guys more space”.

Nayoon gave Sayoung a smile as her tears suddenly stopped “Thank you for being so understanding.”

-The next day

“Good morning” Nayoon greeted Daniel gently as she walked outside to the living room. Daniel was already in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for everyone. 

“Morning” Daniel answered cautiously as he took his attention off the stove for a second to check on her. Was she still upset with him?

“Listen… about yesterday…” Nayoon paused “I thought about it and realized how silly I was being. Of course there’s nothing going on between you and Sayoung. She’s always said she wouldn’t even fall for you even if you’re the last guy in the world. I don’t know what I was thinking” Nayoon stated as she held back her grin, she knew Daniel would be disappointed to hear that and that’s exactly what she wanted.

Daniel turned his attention back to the stove to hide how much that comment had bothered him “how do you like your eggs?” he asked, changing the subject.

 “Scrambled, please” Nayoon answered, giving Daniel her infamous sweet smile.

-Moments later

Sayoung awakened to the smell of food attacking her senses. She sat up from bed with her eyes still close as her nose homed in on the smell. She could tell right away that Daniel was making her favorite, pancakes. Sayoung loves pancake day, which Daniel only makes about once a month due to how time-consuming it was. Too excited to care about anything else, Sayoung rushed out the door, hair still completely disheveled, eyes still full of sleep, and sandals on the wrong feet.

“PANCAAAAAAAAAAAKESSSSSS!!!” Sayoung cheered as she made her way towards the living room, only to halt once she saw that Nayoon there as well, with hearts in her eyes as she watched Daniel cooks.

Daniel was about to say something to her when Nayoon butted in “I can’t believe I got the head chef of Mode to make me pancakes in the morning” Nayoon squealed as she popped a bite in her mouth then beamed in excitement “oppa, these are so good!” She then took a piece on a fork and walked towards Daniel. “Here, let me feed my handsome boyfriend” Nayoon flirted before feeding him the pancake, making sure Sayoung saw her loud and clear.

Sayoung watched the scene played out and recall her conversation with Nayoon last night. Right… give them their space.  

Daniel quickly swallowed the pancake then turned his attention to Sayoung. “Morning!” Daniel greeted her as he piled another steaming hot pancake onto a plate and handed it to her “Sit. Eat” he instructed. 

Sayoung looked at the plate, then at Nayoon, who was looking quite dejected all the sudden. “I think I’ll pass” Sayoung remarked then begun walking back to her room.

Daniel was completely caught off guard by her sudden departure. Sayoung has NEVER turned down his pancakes in the 3 years that he’s known her. Whenever it’s pancake day, she’s there at his house 15 minutes early in the morning to guarantee that she’ll get her share of pancakes.

“Yah… Sayoung” Daniel tried to call after her, however, she didn’t stop.

-In Sayoung’s room

“Sure you don’t want any pancakes?” Daniel asked as he peeked his head in and fanned the plate of pancakes in his hand so that she could smell how delicious they were.

“No thanks” Sayoung answered while laying on her bed, her face glued to a book.

“Something wrong?” Daniel asked as he walked over to her and sat on the side of the bed. It feels like he’s been asking her if something’s wrong a lot lately.

Sayoung hesitated on whether she should tell Daniel about her conversation with Nayoon last night but decided not to in case it causes a fight between them. Plus, it wasn’t her place. “I’m just not in the mood for pancakes” she lied.    

“You saying that you’re not in the mood for pancakes is like me saying I’m not in the mood to watch cat videos on the internet. Impossible. Come on, what happened? You can talk to me” Daniel insisted “it’s just me and you’re here. Nayoon and Minhyun just went to the store” he informed.

Sayoung remained quiet. It was hard trying to put a distance between them when they’ve been so close for the past 3 years.

“Yah… Kim Soyoung…” Daniel pestered then started poking her to get a response.

Poke…

Poke…

Poke…

Annoyed, Sayoung slapped his hands away, not realizing he was still holding onto the plate of pancakes. The plate went flying towards the wall then shattered as it hits the floor.

“Crap!” Sayoung groaned as she rushed to pick it up, only to get puncture her finger with one of the sharp edges from the plate. “Ouch!” she yelped as she held onto her bleeding finger, trying to suppress the blood and pain.

“Are you ok?” Daniel hurried over and grabbed her hand to examine the wound. The cut wasn’t too bad but it was deep. Daniel ran to the kitchen to get a first aid kit then returned to her care. He wiped off the blood then disinfected the area before carefully applying a bandaid. When he was done, Daniel held her hand up to closely examine it, making sure he didn’t miss any other wound. “Whatever will you do without me?” Daniel teased as he looked her, smiled, then ruffled her hair like she was a little girl.

Sayoung watched as Daniel took care of her, just as he always does, but this time, something was different. Having seen him practically every single day for the past 3 years, Sayoung was fully aware of how Daniel looked, however, she’s realized she’s never truly looked at him. With that, she began examining all of his features. She noticed the very prominent mole under his right eye, followed by two smaller, less noticeable moles on his cheek and chin. She noticed how sharp his jaws were, forming the perfect V shape. She noticed how when he smiles, his eyes completely disappear and instead, they’re replaced by crescent moons. Every girl that has ever met Daniel has talked about how ridiculously good looking he was, and Sayoung would always brush them off, not understanding the hype… until now. Was he always this good looking?

Suddenly, there it was again, her heart was beating like a drum.

“Daniel… lately… I’ve been feeling really weird” Sayoung blurted, causing Daniel to look at her with a confused look on his face.

“What do you mean weird?” he asked.

“I don’t know what it is” Sayoung confessed “Lately, my heart just feels really uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest, other times, I feel like there’s a knot in my stomach” Sayoung answered.

Daniel placed his right hand on her forehead and his left hand on his own, comparing their temperature. “You don’t feel hot” he pointed out then cupped her cheeks, checking her temperature from there as well.

“Maybe get some more rest then” Daniel suggested as he laid her down and covered her with a blanket “let me know when you wake up. I’ll make you a fresh batch of pancakes” he smiled.

Sayoung nodded her head then watched as Daniel leave the room. When he was gone, Sayoung placed her hands on her cheek, trying to cool them down. Why is she so flustered?

-That Evening

“Pst… Daniel. Do you have a moment?” Minhyun whispered as he entered Daniel’s room wearing a suit.

“Sure…” Daniel answered as he turned away from his laptop to look at Minhyun “Whoa…” Daniel remarked, stifling a laughter “you know we’re at the beach right?”

Minhyun ignored Daniel’s teasing and proceeded to pull out a small black box in his pocket then opened it to reveal a diamond ring on the inside. “I’m going to propose to Sayoung tonight” Minhyun stated “do you think she’ll like it?”

For a second, Daniel questioned if he was dreaming and this was just a horrible nightmare. Or perhaps Minhyun was playing a prank on him. Anything… something… to make the validity of what Minhyun just said questionable. However, as Daniel stared at Minhyun face, who was looking back at him with complete sincerity, Daniel knew that it was real. Minhyun was going to propose to Sayoung…

“What happened to your five-year plan?” Daniel asked. Minhyun had told him that he’s planning to propose to Sayoung 2 years from now, so Daniel was definitely caught off guard. He thought he still had 2 years to prepare himself.

“Honestly… I just feel like she’s slipping away” Minhyun admitted “we’ve been fighting so much because she feels like I’m not prioritizing her”

“Asking her to marry you won’t fix that problem. If the problem is your priority, then what you need to fix is your priority”

“I understand, but you know… if I were to propose to her, it’ll prove that she’s my priority”

Daniel sighed “hyung… I say this because I love you. Marriage shouldn’t be the solution to a fight or a problem. It should be for love”

“I do love her, Daniel. Why would I propose if I didn’t? Right now or 2 years from now, it doesn’t change that we’ll get married. Listen, I’m not here to ask for your permission but for your help. I need you to keep her distracted while I decorate the beach.

“Keep her occupied how?”

“There’s this ice-skating rink nearby. You can take her there while Nayoon and I decorate. Just tell her you want to go and Nayoon and I don’t.”

Daniel sighed and hated himself for not being able to tell Minhyun no, even if it meant causing himself to be even more miserable.

-At the ice skating rink

“Oh my goodness, you’re such a chicken” Sayoung laughed at the sight of Daniel holding onto the railing while taking babysteps. He’s never skated before and it was obvious.

“Don’t make fun of me!” Daniel whined “it’s too slippery!”

“It’s ice, of course it’s slippery!” Sayoung laughed even harder as she zoomed back and forth around him, pulling all kinds of fancy moves. For once, she was good at something that Daniel isn’t and she was sure going to take advantage of that.

“Here, hold my hands” Sayoung said as she stopped in front of him and offered her hands.

Daniel looked at her suspiciously, she was clearly up to no good. “No thankssss.”

Sayoung rolled her eyes at his distrust then puts her hand up to pledge. “I, Kim Sayoung, promise I will not let you fall.”

Daniel hesitated before grabbing a hold of her hand and allowing her to start pulling him around.

“Yah… you’re going too fast” Daniel complained as Sayoung picked up the pace. Suddenly, she looked at him with a mischievous look in her eyes. Daniel instantly regretted his choice of trusting her.

“Earthquake!!!!” she bellowed before shaking him back and forth.

“YAHHHHHHHH! Kim Sayoung!!! You said you’re not going to let me fall!” Daniel barked as he pulled on Sayoung to support himself.

Bad move. Daniel’s sudden tug caused Sayoung to lose her balance and she skated right towards him. Their body slammed into each other then spun out of control. Next thing she knew, she was falling down onto the ground and Daniel was coming right on top of her.

Sayoung closed her eyes to prepare for impact, however, other than the cold ice pressed against her back, Sayoung felt something soft wrapped around her head. She opened her eyes to find Daniel staring right at her, with his right arm supporting the back of her head so that she wouldn’t had felt the impact of the fall. She was pinned down to the floor with his body.

“Are you ok!?” Daniel asked, still on top of her, just inches away.

There it was again. Her heart beating like crazy. Like it was about to explode. Sayoung realized that everytime she’s been feeling this way, there’s one constant… Daniel.

“Daniel…” Sayoung muttered, still in a trance from her new-found discovery. “Remember the weird feeling I was talking about to you earlier?” Sayoung continued. “I think… it’s because of you...”

Daniel looked at her, still trying to put the information together. What does she mean the weird feeling was because of him?

“I think you’re the reason why my heart is beating like crazy…” Sayoung added.

Now his heart was beating like crazy. Is she saying that she has feelings for him? Daniel stared into her eyes, trying to read her emotions. She’s never looked at him that way she’s looking at him right now. She was nervous around him. Suddenly, Daniel noticed that she was looking at his lips, as if she was curious. His heart began beating even faster as he drew his attention to her lips as well.

Perhaps it’s the cold floor that momentarily froze his logic, or perhaps the fall had broken him, but for a split second, Daniel had forgotten the fact that she was his brother’s girlfriend. All he could think about was how much he’s been wanting to do this for the past 3 years, to kiss her. Daniel leaned in closer until the coldness of the air was replaced by her warm breath. He’s one small movement away from touching her lips. Daniel closed his eyes, preparing to do something stupid when suddenly.

“I’m planning to propose to Sayoung tonight” Minhyun’s voice enchoed in his head, bringing him back to his senses.

Daniel quickly hopped up then put distance between himself and Sayoung, hoping that she didn’t catch on to what he was just about to do.

Meanwhile, Sayoung’s heart was beating so fast she had to place her hand over her chest to calm it. What just happened? Did Daniel just try to kiss her?! Sayoung was in a state of confusion, she knew she’s been feeling weird around Daniel lately, which she’s still trying to process on her own, but where did this come from? It didn’t make sense. They’ve been like brother and sister for the past 3 years. Not to mention the fact that he’s Minhyun’s brother and she’s dating Minhyun.

“Wow, that floor is cold” Daniel joked, trying to break the tension. “Anyways, it’s getting pretty late, let’s return the shoes and head back” he stated before walking away, leaving Sayoung there, still completely enveloped in what happened earlier.

-Moments later

Daniel and Sayoung are now in a taxi, sitting in an awkward silence.

 “Man, that fall must’ve been harder than I thought” Daniel remarked “I think I wasn’t thinking well after that” he said as he rubbed his nape awkwardly, hoping she bought his excuse.

“Really?” Sayoung suddenly said. “Was that all it was? Your head wasn’t clear?” Sayoung asked while looking at him in the eyes.

Daniel, caught by her sudden questioning, looked down before replying “Of course. What else could it be?”

Sayoung known Daniel for 3 years now and she knew him well enough when he’s lying. When Daniel lies, he can’t look at someone in the eyes.

“You’re lying” She confronted him. “You always avoid eye contacts when you lie. Look at me in the eyes and say that again”

Daniel tried to look her in the eyes but couldn’t. She knew him too well. Still, what did she want him to say?!

“At the skating rink…” Sayoung continued “were you about to kiss me?”

“What?! Of course not.  Why would I kiss you?!” Daniel stuttered as he once again avoided eye contact with her.

“Daniel… what’s going on?”

Daniel remained quiet. Anything he says now will only further her suspicion.

“Do you have feelings for me?” she pressed.

Daniel closed his eyes in frustration. Why why why did he had to do that at the ice rink? He’s gone 3 years without doing anything that dumb.

However, Daniel’s silence gave Sayoung her answer. An answer she never thought she’d hear. Kang Daniel has feelings for her? How? When? Why?! And why was her heart beating so fast at this revelation? “When did you start having feelings for me?”

Daniel placed his hands on his face and rubbed it in frustration. She’s found out. He’s screwed everything up.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Sayoung grabbed a hold of his arm to get his attention, her curiosity was killing her. However, Daniel just looked at the window, avoiding her stares and her questions.

“YAH! Kang Daniel. Why are you doing this to me?!” she screamed in frustration.

Sayoung’s last statement irritated Daniel, who suddenly couldn’t take it anymore.

“Doing this to you?” he scoffed. Does she even know what he’s been through these past 3 years? “You think I want this?! To be in love with someone I can never have?” Daniel screamed back.

Sayoung finally got a response from him, and that response made her froze. It was true. He… Kang Daniel… has feelings for her.

Daniel, relieve to finally get it off his chest, could no longer contain the things he had to say. The torture he’s felt. “You think I don’t tell myself everyday that you’re with my brother and it’s wrong?! Watching you guys slowly fall for each other. Watching you celebrate your first, second, and three years anniversary. You don’t think that’s hard for me?” Daniel yelled then stopped when he saw Sayoung’s eyes tearing up. She was in shock by his confession.

“I….” Sayoung uttered but couldn’t bring words out of her mouth. She didn’t know what to say.

“We’re here” the taxi driver interrupted them and avoided making eye contact. Even he, despite his 21 years driving a taxi, has never overheard a conversation this crazy. They sure have a big problem they’ll need to figure out and he was certainly looking forward to going home to tell his family about this soap opera of a mess.

 Daniel quickly paid the taxi driver then stepped out of the car as Sayoung followed behind. That’s when it finally came back to him… Minhyun was waiting for her right at the beach, to propose. Daniel closed his eyes and cursed at himself in frustration. He had the worst timing in the world.

“Look… you and Minhyun belong together and I’ll never get in the middle of that” Daniel said as he turned to look at her in the eyes.

“I see…” Sayoung muttered, she could tell he was telling the truth.

“Minhyun is waiting for you at the beach right now. You should go see him” he added then begun walking away.

Sayoung chased after him and held onto his hand with both of hers, stopping him from leaving. She had so many things she wanted to ask him, in the meantime, she was still trying to process how she felt as well. “Wait…” she pleaded.

Daniel loosened her grips, he knew if he were to stay there any longer, he wouldn’t want to leave.  “I’ll see you later.” With that, Sayoung watched as Daniel entered the beach house and closed the door behind him. To her left was the beach, where Minhyun is waiting for her. To her right was the beach house, where Daniel just went. Sayoung stood there at the crossroad, asking herself where does she want to go.

___

A lot happened this chapter. Told you guys it'll be a big one. Nayoon turns out to be not as sweet as she appears, Sayoung is starting to come to terms with her own feelings, Minhyun is planning to porpose, and Sayoung found out the truth!

I hope the long chapter makes up for the long wait! Thank you for reading! 


	8. Truth or Dare

Sayoung sighed as she began making her way toward the beach. She still had so many more questions she wanted to ask Daniel, but at the same time, she had many questions for herself as well. For example, why did she almost kiss him back at the skating rink? Why didn’t his confession gross her out, but instead, it made her nervous? Lastly… why was she still thinking about Daniel despite making her way towards Minhyun?

As Sayoung drew closer to the beach, she began to see an area on the beach where the ground was lit up with candles, forming a heart shape. Inside the heart stood a person who Sayoung suspected was Minhyun. A sense of guilt rushed over her as she approached him and noticed there’s a blanket spread out on the floor with a variety of foods on it. Any other day and Sayoung would’ve melted over such a romantic gesture, but today… she felt like such a shitty person.  

Unexpectedly, she watched as Minhyun got on one knee and drew out a small black box from his blazer. He looked at her lovingly as he opened the box to reveal the diamond ring encased inside. Sayoung’s stomach sank once she realized what was going on. Minhyun was proposing to her.  

“Kim Sayoung, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” he asked as she stopped in front of him.

Sayoung was speechless. She didn’t expect him to propose so soon, they had talked about marriage before and he’s always said he wanted to date someone for at least 5 years before getting married. As if this night couldn’t get any crazier.

“I…” Sayoung muttered, unable to answer him. She’s been dreaming about this day since they started getting serious in their relationship, but now that it’s here, Sayoung felt confused. She looked at Minhyun’s face, he was still on his knee and staring at her with hopeful eyes. “Minhyun… I…” Sayoung stuttered, still unable to find the confidence to give him an answer. “I need some time to think…” she answered as she hung her head down, unable to bear witness the look of disappointment on his face.

Minhyun was shocked, he was so sure Sayoung would say yes that he did not prepare himself for this twist at all. “What do you mean time to think?” he asked “can’t you see all the efforts I put into this? It took me and Nayoon 2 hours to get all these foods and candles laid out” Minhyun stated, a bit annoyed. He then got off his knee and walked towards Sayoung, placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.  “Sayoung… I’m really trying here” Minhyun insisted as he looked at her in the eyes “come on, let’s just get married”.

“Please… just give me some time to think” Sayoung pleaded as tears began welling in her eyes due to how torn and frustrated she felt. She went through a roller coaster of emotions today and her thoughts were just all over the place.

Minhyun sighed, disappointed in her reaction. However, he knew that if he pushed her any more, the answer would be a no instead. “Ok…” Minhyun reluctantly agreed “take all the time you need”  

\---

Daniel had been sitting in his room in completely darkness for the past 2 hours, just chugging down cans after cans of beer. Suddenly, his door swung opened and there stood Sayoung, looking at him in disbelief. “You knew he was proposing, didn’t you?” she said as she turned on the light to reveal a room littered with beer cans “that’s why you took me ice skating…”

Daniel took another sip of his beer before answering Sayoung solemnly “he asked me to keep you distracted.” Suddenly, the sight of Sayoung’s bare fingers caught Daniel’s attention “You didn’t say yes?” Daniel asked as he stood up and walked over to her to examine her hands more closely. It’s true. She had no ring on her finger. His felt a surge of happiness rushed through his body which was quickly replaced with feelings of guilt. “Did you say no because of me? Because I made things so messed up?” Daniel asked.

“I didn’t say no… I told him I’ll think about it.” Sayoung admitted then looked at Daniel carefully to examine his reaction. How does he feel about her saying that she’ll think about it? Was he happy? Sad? Sayoung could read Daniel like a book but right now, she couldn’t sense anything from him because once again, Daniel was quiet as a statue. “Oh” was all the reaction that he gave. Daniel then walked back to his beer, picked it up, then chugged it down to the very last drop before crushing the can with his bare hand, taking his anger and frustration out on it. “You should say yes” he blurted.

“I see…” Sayoung answered disappointedly as she began making her way towards the door. She got the answer she needed to hear.

“Sayoung…” Daniel called out, stopping her in her track and causing her to turn around to look at him. “Can we just pretend today didn’t happen and just go back to how we were? You continue to see me as your younger brother and I continue to see you as my brother’s girlfriend?”

“Sure…” Sayoung replied as she turned back around and walked out the door, closing his door behind her. The moment the door shut, Daniel grabbed yet another can of beer and began drowning away his feelings once more.

-The Next Day

Daniel, Minhyun, Sayoung, and Nayoon have been sitting at the table and eating breakfast for the last 5 minutes in completely silence.

Minhyun was quiet because Sayoung still haven’t given him the answer to his proposal. Daniel was quiet because he just ruined his 3 years friendship with Sayoung and now he could potentially ruin her relationship with Minhyun as well. Sayoung was quite because she just found out Daniel was in love with her while Minhyun wanted to marry her. And well, Nayoon was quiet because everyone else was clearly bothered by something and didn’t want to talk. Still, it was their last day at the beach house and it’d be a waste to spend it in complete silence.

“So I actually looked up a place where you can rent camping equipment and just camp at the beach. Doesn’t that sound really fun?” Nayoon asked peppily then looked around to check everyone’s reaction. Not a single excitement was shown on their face.

“Just what exactly happened yesterday?” she asked.

“Nothing!” They all replied in unison.

“o…k….” Nayoon backed down, she clearly touched a nerve… or 3. Still, she’s not one to give up. “Come on, it’s our last day. Let’s spend the night at the beach and make it memorable” she insisted as she gave Minhyun a nudge, beckoning him to agree.

Minhyun was still feeling down due to Sayoung’s reaction from last night. Still, if he wanted to win her heart and get her to say yes, he’d have to show her he’s trying.  “Yeah, maybe we can give that a try” Minhyun agreed as he looked over at Daniel to get him to go along. He knew that if Daniel agreed, Sayoung was more likely to agree as well. No one can convince her as well as Daniel.

Daniel looked at his brother reluctantly. He was certainly not in the mood to camp on the beach and sleep under one tent, however, he also wanted Minhyun and Sayoung to make up. Even if it’s going to make thing awkward as hell, he needed to do this for Minhyun. Daniel gave a forced smile “that sounds fun”.

Nayoon and Minhyun then eagerly turned their attention to Sayoung, awaiting her response. All she wanted to do right now was to go home and sleep for the next 5 days, but of course, she also had to reluctantly agreed.

\---

After setting up the overnight tent and a bonfire, Daniel, Sayoung, Minhyun and Nayoon were now sitting on the beach, looking at the tranquil scenery while listening to the crackling sound of the bonfire.

“I can’t believe how pretty it is out here at night!” Nayoon gasped as she looked up at the night sky, completely littered with stars. “Why don’t we play a drinking game!?” she insisted rather than asked, as she started passing cans of beer around and gathered everyone into a circle around a towel that they have laid down.

“I’m not a really good drinker” Sayoung rejected the beer by making an X with her hands. Sayoung had the alcohol tolerance of a bee and gets drunk on just a sip. And since she becomes one of those people who are WAY too honest when they’re drunk, she can’t afford that risk right now.

Nayoon gave Sayoung her typical puppy-dog eye and a pout “come on unni, we’re on vacation, have some fun. Just take a little sip here and there” she persuaded as she grabbed a hold of Sayoung’s hand and placed the can in it, forcing her to hold it. “please please please?” she pleaded. Sayoung smiled adoringly at Nayoon, the girl was definitely made to be a lawyer with how persuasive she is.

“What game should we play?” Minhyun asked as he opened his can of beer and helped Sayoung with hers. Daniel, on the other hand, was worried about Sayoung drinking. She always gets such a bad hangover when she drinks.

“How about 1,3,9? Each time there’s a 1, 3, or 9 in your number you must clap. If you don’t, you drink” Nayoon suggested, followed by agreeing nods from the others. With that, they began their game and went all the way up to the number 150. Sayoung, being the worst player of them all, already downed the first can of beer and was now on her second one. Needless to say, Sayoung was already getting tipsy.

Nayoon knew that this was a great opportunity to get some answers from Sayoung and Daniel, not to mention, a chance for her to become closer to Daniel. With that in mind, she suggested another game.  “Why don’t we play Truth or Dare next? There are three options in the game, you can choose truth, which you answer a question honestly, you can choose dare, where you have to do what the person dared you to do, or the third option, if you don’t want to answer the question or do the dare, you have to drink an entire can of beer and forfeit your turn.”  

“WOOO!” I go first!” the very tipsy Sayoung shouted as she placed a bottle of coke on the blanket then spun it, landing on Nayoon. “Truth or dare?” Sayoung asked as she looked at Nayoon cheekily.

“Dare” Nayoon answered.

Sayoung began looking around her surrounding before landing her eyes on the packet of hot sauce they brought with them for the ramen “I dare you… to… eat this whole packet of hot sauce” she said as she held up the packet and threw it over to Nayoon while snickering childishly.

“unniiiiiiiiiiii, that’s so mean!” Nayoon whined as she hesitantly opened the packet and gulped them down. When she was done, she made a face then stuck her tongue out to fan away the heat with her hands. “Oh my god, that’s so spicy” she cried as she quickly grabbed a bottle of water to rinse her mouth. 

Nayoon then spun the bottle and landed on Minhyun, who looked at her cautiously before he answered “truth”. Nayoon smiled mischievously then asked, “have you ever been jealous of Daniel?” Minhyun thought for a moment then responded with a smile “I’m jealous of how close he is with Sayoung. Sometimes, it feels like they’re the ones that’s dating”, causing Daniel and Sayoung to both quickly glance at each other then darted their eyes away instantly. It was their first eye contact of the night and suddenly, Sayoung felt her heart beating once more. Nayoon saw this and felt like something was off. Why are they acting so awkward around each other? What exactly happened yesterday? Why didn’t Sayoung say yes to Minhyun’s proposal?

Nayoon’s suspicion was interrupted when Minhyun spun the bottle and it landed on Sayoung, who chose truth. Minhyun thought it would be a funny follow up question to what he just said, so with that, he asked “have you ever had a crush on Daniel?” not realizing that he had just opened a can of worms. This question took Sayoung and Daniel off guard as Sayoung looked over at Daniel, who was staring at her in return, anticipating her answer. Did she ever have a crush on Daniel? Sayoung asked herself as she thought back to the various time he’s made her heart fluttered. At the skating rink, when he was taking care of her wound, when he was dusting away the sand from her face, when he was holding her on the Ferris Wheel, when he taught her how to cook… to name a few. Did she have a crush on him? It was a question Sayoung couldn’t answer. No, it was a question she didn’t dare to answer. She knew the best thing to do was just to say no, however, she couldn’t bring herself to say that as well. Sayoung let out a forced laugh before opening a can of beer and stated “what a silly question, I’m not even going to answer that” as she gulped down the entire beverage. Daniel couldn’t help but find her decision odd, Sayoung was the type to avoid drinking at all cost.

 

 

Since Sayoung chose to drink, that meant she forfeited her turn and Minhyun got to go again. With that, he spun and landed on Daniel, who went for a dare instead. He can’t take the chance of Minhyun asking him any question after what he had just asked Sayoung. Nayoon looked over at Minhyun with pleading looks in her eyes, she had complained to him that Daniel was taking things way too slow with her and she’s got a feeling Minhyun was going to help with that. “I dare you to kiss Nayoon” Minhyun stated with a grin on his face then gave Nayoon a wink, letting her know he’s got her back.

Sayoung felt that gut wrenching feeling come back when she heard Minhyun’s dare. She looked over at Daniel to check his reaction. Was he going to kiss her? As Daniel’s body started moving from its spot, Sayoung unconsciously looked away, unable to bear witness to the kiss between him and Nayoon.

On the other hand, Nayoon was beaming from ear to ear as she prepared for Daniel to make his move. She watched as Daniel sat there and contemplated before looking over at Sayoung. Suddenly, his eyes darted towards a new can of beer. Nayoon felt disappointment and embarrassment washed over her as Daniel opened the can and gulped it down in one shot. He had chosen to drink instead of kissing her. She couldn’t help but scoff in disbelief as she glared at him, who was looking at the ground and avoiding eye contact with her, probably because he felt so bad over what he just did. Minhyun quickly tried to salvage Nayoon’s pride by saying “my little bro must be too shy to kiss in front of other people” but to no avail. Her pride was stomped to the ground and she’s extremely pissed off.

“I’m going to bed” Nayoon declared before heading into the tent, throwing the blanket over herself, and closing her eyes while cursing at Daniel, the asshole, in her head.

\- That night

Daniel had been tossing and turning for the past hour. The thought of Sayoung choosing to drink the beer instead of answering Minhyun’s question kept bothering him. Why did she hesitate initially? When they were at the ice skating rink, she said that he was making her heart beat… what does that mean? Daniel sat up from bed and looked at his surroundings. Minhyun, who was laying next to him, was fast asleep, as well as Sayoung and Nayoon. Or so he thought, he couldn’t tell since Sayoung was facing the other side. Suddenly, Sayoung turned to her side to see who was making the ruckus and found herself locking eyes with Daniel. She wasn’t really sleeping either since she was also bothered by what had happened earlier.

Perhaps it’s due to the darkness of the night, but this time, they didn’t break their eye contact. Ever since the ice skating incident, they haven’t truly looked at each other for longer than 10 seconds and Daniel can no longer stop himself. He missed her… and although he didn’t know it, she missed him. Suddenly, their staring session was disturbed due to the ringing of Nayoon’s phone.

“Hello?” Nayoon answered grumpily, after all, it was midnight. “He what?!?!” she shouted as she shot up from her position, waking Minhyun up in the process.  

They all sat there and listen intensely in on her conversation, clearly something big happened. “I’ll be there as soon as I can” she answered before hanging up the phone and looking at Minhyun. “Mr. Jung, our biggest client, was just caught sending some of his boys to burn down somebody’s warehouse to eliminate the competition. He’s at the police station right now and we have to go” she said to Minhyun as she started packing up. Minhyun looked at Sayoung apologetically, he knew leaving wasn’t going to help his cause in getting her to marry him, however, this was too big of a deal for him to ignore.

“Sayoung, I’ll be back tomorrow morning” Minhyun stated as he began to pack up as well. Before Sayoung could even process and say a single word, Minhyun and Nayoon had already rushed off, leaving her and Daniel in the tent alone, staring at each other awkwardly.

“Should we just go back to the beach house? I can call us a cab” Daniel spoke, making it their first conversation in the last 24 hours.

“At this time? The only person you’re going to reach is a murderer” Sayoung joked as she laid back down. “Just go back to sleep. It’s our last night here and this tent was ridiculously expensive to rent. We can go back tomorrow morning” she insisted as she turned to face her side of the tent. Daniel reluctantly agreed but being alone with Sayoung made him feel nervous. With that, he laid down as well and turn to his side of the tent. They laid there with their backs toward each other in complete silence as they listened to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. As minutes passed by, the tension in the atmosphere grew stronger, they were both aware that the other person wasn’t sleeping, but at the same time, they were both too nervous to talk.

Biting her lips, Sayoung uttered the first word “Daniel…” she whispered as she turned around and looked at the back of his head.

“Hm?” Daniel answered, still facing the other side.

“Why didn’t you kiss Nayoon?” she asked.

“Why couldn’t you answer Minhyun’s question?” he retorted.

Silence once again filled the room as Daniel couldn’t answer her question, nor could she answer his’s.

Sayoung continued staring at the back of Daniel’s head. Maybe it was because she’s still drunk or maybe it was because her heart would eventually explode if she doesn’t ask, but Sayoung could no longer contain herself, she had to know “if I wasn’t Minhyun’s girlfriend, if I didn’t meet him first, what would you do?”

Daniel turned around to finally face her. Why was she asking him this? What good can come from this? Daniel gulped as he looked at the girl of his dream, laying just inches away from him.

“Why are you asking me this?” Daniel questioned as he looked at her in the eyes, trying to read her emotions.

“Do you still have feelings for me?” She asked yet another question, knowing that she was treading on very dangerous ground.

Daniel hesitated. He didn’t want to answer her, but he knew she’d keep asking until she gets a response. “yes…” he admitted, expecting Sayoung to grumble and yelled at him for making her life so difficult once again.

Instead, Sayoung said something Daniel thought he’d never hear. “I think I’m starting to have feelings for you as well…” she whispered.

______________

Thank you for all the supportive comments! I was really busy but those comments really encouraged me to update the story. Now that they've both admitted to their feelings, the story will pick up its pace. = )


	9. The Fall Out

_I think I’m starting to have feelings for you as well…_

_I think I’m starting to have feelings for you as well…_

_I think I’m starting to have feelings for you as well…_

These words repeated over and over in Daniel’s head until he felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. All these years he’s been pining over her, he never thought he’d live to see the day where his one-sided love will be reciprocated. It was nice, knowing that the girl he’s in love with felt the same about him. However, the feeling of exhilaration didn’t last very long until Daniel was once again reminded of his brother, who also loves Sayoung. Where would that leave her and Minhyun? They were still together, hell, they’re more than just _still together_ , Minhyun proposed to her. Daniel suddenly felt like all the oxygen in the tent disappearing, making it impossible for him to breath. He quickly stood up then rushed out the tent, breathing in a quaff of air the moment he was out. Daniel hunched over and rested his hands on his knees as he began hyperventilating, taking in rapid inhales and exhales. 

“YAH! DANIEL!” Sayoung followed him out and glared at him, hurt that he had reacted to her confession this way. She took a step towards him, only for him to back away from her like he was afraid of her.

“Stop right there!” Daniel yelled as he stretched his hand forward and used it to barricade her from him “don’t come any closer.”

Sayoung couldn’t believe her eyes and ears. Was he being serious right now? “Are you seriously going to treat me like some serial killer” she looked at him in disbelief, offended. With that, Sayoung took another step forward in an attempt to reason with him.

“Sayoung… if you come any closer, I won’t be able to control myself and then I’m going to do something so fucking stupid I’ll hate myself forever for me” Daniel pleaded, taking yet another step back, however, every step backward that Daniel took, Sayoung met that distance by taking another step towards him.

“Damn it, Sayoung. I said stop!” Daniel roared.

“Why are you acting like this?!” she asked, tears forming in her eyes due to how hurt she was feeling.

“I just can’t, ok?! All these years, I’ve held it in just fine because I knew you didn’t feel the same way. But now… after hearing what you just said, I’m not going to be able to hold it in anymore. But I must, Sayoung, because Minhyun is my brother. And right now, you’re making it REALLY difficult for me to remember that. So please, just give me some space” he begged as he turned around and begun walking towards the shoreline of the beach.

After taking a few steps without any movement or response from Sayoung, Daniel looked back to make sure she was ok, that’s when he saw that she was still standing in the same spot, looking at him walking away while crying hysterically. Daniel paused in his location and looked at her, his heart felt like it was torn to shred. He was a sucker for her tears and all he wanted to do right now was run to her and hold her in his arms. Like a habit that he couldn’t break, Daniel’s body began making its way back to her, however, it was now her who didn’t want to talk to him.

“DON’T!” Sayoung yelled “you think you’re the only one torn over this?! You think I want to do this to Minhyun as well? But if you didn’t want me to fall for you, you shouldn’t have done all those things that made my heart feel like it’s going to explode!” she cried even more hysterically. “You’re so cruel, Kang Daniel. You kept staying by my side, kept being my shoulder to cry on, kept making me laugh, until you eventually became the person I can’t imagine my life without, only to now suddenly walk out of my life. But you know what… fine… KEEP WALKING! I don’t need you in my life anyways!” she screamed as she closed her eyes and wiped her tears with her arm. Suddenly, Sayoung felt the warmth of someone’s body wrapped around hers, pulling her into its embrace. It was a warmth she was well accustomed to.

“Dammit Sayoung” Daniel whispered as he held onto her tightly, allowing her head to rest between his chest as he wrapped his arm around her head “you’re making it so hard for me to hold it in…” he sighed.  His comforting embrace only made Sayoung wept even harder; she had missed it so much. Sayoung threw her arms around Daniel’s waist and hugged him in return. Just like that, they stood there and silence and held each other for the next ten minutes, neither one wanting to let go.

\----

“I’m going to end it with Minhyun” Sayoung said suddenly, breaking up the calming silence and turning it into an uncomfortable one. Daniel pulled away from their hug to look at her in the eyes, checking to see if she was joking or not. When he saw Sayoung looking back at him with completely sincerity, Daniel was overcome with guilt once more. It was because of him…

“Don’t do this… Minhyun has no one else in this world except you and me. Don’t do this because of me.” Daniel pleaded.

“Don’t flatter yourself” Sayoung forced out a reassuring chuckle. “You’re well aware he and I have been having trouble for the longest time. It’s not because of you. It’s because my heart hasn’t beaten for him since as long as I can remember. It’s because he and I can sit there for hours without anything to talk about. It’s because whenever we do talk, it’s only about his work. It’s because even when he proposed to me, I couldn’t feel an ounce of excitement. I’m breaking up with him because we’ve been broken for a long time…”

Daniel sighed. He knew she was right, even he saw how bad things were getting between them. “Where does that leave us?” he asked.

“I don’t know…” she muttered.

Daniel begun rubbing his face in frustration, trying to come up with what to do. If she breaks up with Minhyun, that meant she’s now available. However, she’ll be his brother’s ex, and even if she’s available, he can’t go after his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Minhyun would never be comfortable with that. After going back and forth for what felt like forever, he finally came to his decision. With that, he took a deep breath then took a couple of steps away from Sayoung. She knew then and there what his decision was before he even had to say anything. “Sayoung, you know I can’t do betray Minhyun. He’ll never forgive me if we…”

“I know” she interrupted.

“He’s been there for me my whole lif…”

“I know” Sayoung interrupted once more.

“If it was anybody else, I would never let you g…”

“Damn it, Daniel. I know, ok?!” Sayoung yelled.

“So then… we’re…” Daniel paused, not because Sayoung had interrupted him once more, but because he’s unable to finish the sentence himself.

“So then we’re done as well.” She answered for him.

Unable to come to terms with this being how they’re ending, Daniel made a pathetic attempt to hang on to what they had “why can’t we just stay the way we are?!?!”

“Because you were in love with me for 3 years because of the way we are, because I eventually fell for you because of the way we are. And we’ll continue to stay that way if we stay the way we are”

Daniel sighed, knowing she was right. “So that’s it then…”

“Yeah. I guess that’s it” Sayoung replied, looking down on the ground to avoid eye contact with him. It took all of her not to burst out crying once again, after all, she wasn’t just saying goodbye to someone she has feeling for, she was saying goodbye to her best friend.

“You sure you’re not going to regret this?” he asked as he suddenly took a step towards her instead.

“Yes. It has to be like this” she answered.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he took another step towards her.

“Oh my god Daniel, can you be anymore annoying?!” Sayoung groaned in annoyance.

“In that case…” Daniel took more steps towards her until they’re face to face. “I’m going to do that really fucking stupid thing I’ve been trying not to do for the past 3 years…” with that, he grabbed onto her arm and pulled her towards his body. Before Sayoung could even comprehend what was happening, Daniel cupped her face with his hands and brought his lips onto hers, kissing her longingly. Finally, Daniel was able to taste the sweet strawberry lip balm that was on Sayoung lips. Finally, he knew how her lips tasted. Likewise, Sayoung felt weak to her knees the moment their lips touched and the way his supple lips brushes against hers sent tingles all over her body. She wanted to resist his kiss, but not as much as she wanted more of it. Daniel began to kiss her even more eagerly knowing that this is his last opportunity to be with the girl of his dream. Sayoung returned his kiss, knowing the same. Tears welled in their eyes, knowing their first kiss was also their last.

\-------------------------------------------

The next day

“Hey, what is it that you want to talk about?” Minhyun asked as he entered Sayoung’s apartment and settled on the couch. Did she call him over to accept his proposal?

Sayoung took a deep breath before sitting down next to him. “I… I can’t marry you.” Sayoung blurted.

Minhyun looked at her in frustration and let up out an annoyed groan “look, I’m sorry for having to leave you yesterday but…” Minhyun stopped midsentence as he saw the tears welling up in Sayoung’s eyes, her face turning red.

“Minhyun… it’s not because of yesterday. It just… I’m no longer in love with you” she confessed as streams of tears started rolling down her cheeks and landed on her hands that was currently placed on her laps. It broke her heart having to say this to someone she spent 3 years of her life with, someone who she was so sure she’d one day marry.

Minhyun grabbed a hold of Sayoung’s hands and faced her towards him on the couch “babe, don’t you think you’re going to far with this? Come on, don’t be ridiculous!”

They spent the next 30 minutes going back and forth, Minhyun was convinced she’s only breaking up with him because he abandoned her once more while she kept trying to explain to him that they’ve just grown apart.

Eventually, Sayoung knew she had to tell him the other truth…

“I fell in love with someone else…”

\------

4 days later, at Minhyun’s office

“Hey, where you’ve been?” Nayoon asked as she peeked her head through his office door. He had taken a leave of absence for 4 days now, which was completely unlike him. She looked at him from head to toes, he looked like he hadn’t slept for days “wow, you must’ve been really sick.”

“Sayoung and I broke up” he announced as he looked up with her with lifeless eyes “I don’t know what to do Nayoon, she said she fell in love with someone else…”

“Did she say who?” Nayoon interrogated, she had a gut wrenching feeling she knew who.

\---2 days ago, at Daniel’s place---

“I’m sorry” Daniel apologized, Nayoon had come over for dinner and everything was fine until she suddenly asked about Sayoung. As hard as he tried, Daniel just couldn’t pretend to smile in front of her. He couldn’t pretend to be interested anymore.  “I don’t think we can keep seeing each other.”

“What do you mean? But everything was going so well?” Nayoon asked, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.

“I just, I haven’t moved on and I can’t keep stringing you along. It’s not fair to you” he answered.

\---End of flashback---

It didn’t take long for Nayoon to put two and two together. Despite Daniel denying adamantly that it wasn’t Sayoung who he’s trying to move on from… it’s not a coincidence that Sayoung broke up with Minhyun and Daniel suddenly broke up with her within the same week. Like Minhyun, she’s been mopping over the breakup, but now, her sadness has turned into anger once more.

“Wow. I really can’t believe the nerves of those two…” Nayoon scoffed as she entered his office and sat down on the chair in front of him, catching Minhyun’s attention. Those two?

“What do you mean?” Minhyun asked, did Nayoon know something he doesn’t?

“The person Sayoung is in love with, it’s Daniel” she answered sharply.

Minhyun felt the urge to laugh then and there. In fact, he did. How ridiculous of Nayoon to even say such a thing. Daniel and Sayoung. HA! “That’s seriously not funny right now” Minhyun scowled.

“Minhyun, I’m serious” she looked at him sternly “just think about it... don’t you always feel like they were way too close?”

And that’s when Minhyun thought about all the times he’s caught Daniel looking at Sayoung adoringly, all the time Daniel told him not to hurt her because she’s the most amazing girl in the world, all the time Daniel sacrificed and went out of his way to make Sayoung happy, like that teddy bear he had to hunt down for months, just for her birthday. Why didn’t he see it before? It was so obvious to him now that Daniel was in love with Sayoung.

Minhyun then though about all the times Sayoung eyes lit up whenever Daniel came to join them, all the time she leaned on Daniel when she’s having a hard time, all the time she ran to Daniel instead of Minhyun when she’s truly afraid… like at that haunted house. Why didn’t he see it before? It was so obvious Sayoung was also in love with Daniel.

Minhyun was flabbergasted. The two people he loved the most in the world. The two people who he trusted the most in the world, betrayed him. He was a fucking idiot. His sat there as his anger continued to stew, until he can’t no longer take it. Minhyun looked at his watch… 8PM. Daniel and Sayoung should be home in their apartment right now. “I got to go” Minhyun stated before grabbing his blazer and darting out the door. With every step he took, he grew even more furious, felt even more betrayed as scenes after scenes of Daniel and Sayoung falling in love with each other played in his head. Them playfully ruffling each other’s hairs, their inside jokes but no one else but them understood, their late-night movie dates. He was a damn fool. No, they are no longer the two people he loved and trusted the most in the world, they’re now the two people who he despised the most in the world. And they’re not going to get away with it.

________________

Minhyun found out! Pray for Daniel and Sayoung!

As always, upvotes and comments are always appreciated and serve as such a great motivator. Thank you for taking your time out to read this!!! <3


	10. Shattered

Daniel’s been sitting in his living room with a bottle of beer in one hand and his phone in the other hand for an hour now, scrolling through pictures of Sayoung and deleting each and every one of them so he wouldn’t be reminded of her every single second. It’s been almost a whole week since he’s talked to her and he felt like a drug addict suffering from withdrawal. Nothing felt right… food tasted bland, laughter from other people sounded like mockery, the world was in black and white. He missed her in ways he never knew one could miss a person. Suddenly, Daniel’s quiet state was interrupted by the sound of the front door swinging open aggressively, slamming into the wall behind it and created a huge dent as the result.

“Hyung…” Daniel greeted his brother cautiously, who was still standing at the entrance of the door and staring at him with such hatred and resentment in his eyes that Daniel questioned whether the person standing in front of him was actually his brother. He’s never seen that look on Minhyun’s face before.

“Are you in love with Sayoung?” Minhyun glared at him, clenching his fists.

“Hyung…” Daniel uttered once more, not knowing how to answer him since he was so caught off guard by the sudden question. Daniel always thought that if Minhyun ever asked him this question, he’d look at him and lie to his face, however, now that it became reality, he realized lying to him was a lot harder than he thought.

Daniel’s inability to answer the question only made Minhyun even more upset as he walked over to Daniel and grabbed him by the collar “answer my fucking question, I said, are you in love with Sayoung?”

“Yes…” Daniel admitted, unable to stick to his plan. He stared at the ground, too ashamed to look at his brother in the eyes. “I’m sorry...” he apologized, not realizing his apology did the opposite of calming Minhyun down… no, it made him even angrier. The fact that Daniel apologized meant he knew what he did was wrong. The fact that he apologized meant this whole thing was actually happening. The fact that he apologized meant he admitted to betraying Minhyun. Seeing only red, Minhyun swiftly landed a punched in Daniel’s face, knocking him down to the floor.

“I trusted you!” Minhyun shouted said as he got on top of Daniel and landed another punch, this time even harder. “365 days in a year, for 3 years, that’s 1,095 days. You had over 1,095 days to tell me the truth about your feelings for Sayoung, and yet you never did!” Minhyun continued to lay down punches after punches, not even caring where the punches were landing. He just wanted to hit him as hard and much as he could, each punch representing a day that Daniel lied to him. Minhyun was so full of rage he didn’t even realize that Daniel was laying there, completely covered in blood, and he would’ve kept going if it wasn’t for Sayoung interference.  

“Stop… you’re going to kill him” she pleaded as she held onto his fist. Sayoung had heard the loud noises from her apartment and went over to make sure that everything was ok.

“You…” Minhyun snarled “you caused all of this” he glared at her with disdain in his eyes.

“Then hit me” Sayoung cried, still holding onto Minhyun’s fist.

And as much as Minhyun did want to hit her, to hurt the girl who broke his heart, he couldn’t. He still loved her and seeing her tears broke his heart. Minhyun then looked down at Daniel, the brother who was also so dear to his heart, laying there in a puddle of his own blood while still looking at Minhyun with apologetic eyes. Minhyun lowered his fist as he looked at the two people who he both loved and hated.

“Congratulations, I won’t be in your way any longer. You two can be together now” with that, Minhyun marched into his room and began packing his stuff in a haste, he needed to get out of the apartment and as far away from them as possible.

“Are you ok?” Sayoung asked as she rushed to Daniel’s side to help him up once Minhyun disappeared into his room. She used her sleeve to wipe away the bloods, only to find that Minhyun’s punches have caused a huge cut on Daniel’s lips and forehead, as well as swollen one of his eyes shut. “This is all my fault” she muttered.

Daniel quickly brushed her hands away and tried to get up, hoping to go after Minhyun to explain himself, however, before he could do anything, Minhyun was back with his luggage in his hand and heading towards the door.

“Hyung, where are you going?” Daniel asked as he tried to follow him only for Minhyun to turn around and shove him back down to the floor “don’t fucking follow me, don’t fucking talk to me, and don’t fucking call me hyung. You’re dead to me…” Minhyun shouted then looked over at Sayoung “I don’t want to see you or him ever again”. Before Daniel could even respond, Minhyun had walked out the door and slammed it shut in the process.

-In the parking lot

“Minhyun, stop…!” Sayoung yelled as she finally caught up to him and held onto his hand, preventing him from getting into his car. “Please, just hear me out…” she begged, trying to turn him around to face her but he wouldn’t. “I never wanted to hurt you. _We_ never wanted to hurt you.”

Minhyun stood there without a single response.

“Please don’t go.” Sayoung continued, still holding onto his hand tightly.

“What do you take me for?” he asked, finally turning around to look at Sayoung in the eyes. It was then she realized he’s in tears as well, the Minhyun she’s dated for the past 3 years, who has never cried in front of her before, was now in tears. “You probably saw me as a joke, huh? Dumbass Minhyun who had no idea his girlfriend and his brother were falling in love with each other. Proposing to you on the beach and smiling like a damn idiot while you and Daniel whispered sweet words in each other’s ears.”  

“No, we did no such thing…” Sayoung explained “this thing between Daniel and me, we never even started it. He and I decided not to see each other anymore because we couldn’t do that to you.”

“And yet you did…” Minhyun stated blankly, preventing Sayoung from saying anything else. He was right, whether or not they meant to hurt him, truth was, they did, and nothing she say could make him feel better.

Sayoung stood there and watch as tears of frustration, sadness, and anger continued to stream down Minhyun’s eyes… not knowing how else to comfort him. Perhaps it’s due to a habit or perhaps it’s because she couldn’t bear to see the guy who she was in love with for such a long time, be in so much pain, but Sayoung made the silly mistake of walking over to him and hugging him. A part of her had expected for Minhyun to push her off, however, he just stood there. Yes, he was incredibly upset with her, but her hugs were the only thing that was stopping his world for collapsing.  

“Who do you want to be with?” he asked suddenly, her hug had given him hope that they can overcome this, if she was to choose him.

“I….” Sayoung couldn’t answer. She knew what Minhyun wanted to hear but she couldn’t bring the heart to lie to him. That would be even crueler than what she’d already done.

As a last ditch effort to win Sayoung back, Minhyun pulled her into a kiss, hoping that she’d kiss him back. If she did, that meant she still loves him, and he was willing to overlook her betrayal if that’s the case. However, that wasn’t the case. Sayoung began to resist his kiss and tried to shove him away, which only brought his anger back. He was rejected by her, again. She no longer loves him, she wasn’t choosing him. Rather than letting her go, Minhyun held onto her even tighter as he continued to kiss her. It was no longer about winning her back but about gaining dominance, about marking his territory. Sayoung was his. She’s been his for 3 years and she needed to know that.

“Minhyun, stop!” Sayoung mumbled through his lips as she tried to push him away but to no avail, he was much stronger than her. He gripped onto her arms harder, his fingers digging into her flesh to hold her in place then kissed her even more aggressively, taking his anger out on her lips. “Minhyun, I said stop!!!” Sayoung shouted as she gave him one last push with all her might, causing him to finally fall back and break away from the kiss. Tears welled in her eyes due to how Minhyun had treated her, for the first time since she’s been with him, she actually felt scared.

Minhyun stood there and looked at Sayoung, his anger subsided when he saw that her lips were bleeding due to how aggressive he was being. “Are you ok…” he went to touch her lips only for her to slap his hand away, afraid of his touch.

“I know you’re angry. You have all the right to be angry” Sayoung stated “but be angry at me, not Daniel. He didn’t do anything. He kept his one-sided love for me this entire time and never once made a move on me” Sayoung pleaded.

“He made a move on you by being in love with you” Minhyun retorted. “And the more you try to help him, the more I’ll continue to hate him, so just stop.” With that, Minhyun opened the door to his car, threw his luggage into the passenger seat, and sped off.  

\---

Sayoung went back to Daniel’s apartment to find a very devastated Daniel sitting on the floor, holding a picture frame that contain a picture of him, Sayoung, and Minhyun at Minhyun’s graduation. They were smiling so happily in the picture, a contrast to how they are now.

“Let’s go see a doctor” Sayoung insisted as she walked over to Daniel and grabbed his hand, only for him to quickly pull away from her. “Sayoung… get out.” he said brusquely, causing Sayoung to be taken aback with his tone “Daniel…” she uttered.

“I don’t want to see you anymore. Get out” he hissed.

“Daniel…”

“I said get out!!!!” Daniel screamed as he threw the picture frame at the wall, breaking it into pieces.

“I can’t leave you like this” Sayoung replied, causing Daniel to stand up and stare at her with bitterness in his eyes. “I can’t stand the sight of you, knowing that you’re the reason why Minhyun will never speak to me again. He was all that I have in this world. Now I have no one. Just leave, Sayoung. If you don’t leave, I’ll leave” he threatened.

“No… I’ll go” Sayoung reluctantly agreed, knowing that anything she does now will only make matters worse.

___________________

I honestly felt so bad for Minhyun when I wrote this chapter. Who else felt the same? Next chapter is coming SOON and it'll be a long one. <3

P.S: Daniel did not just one, but TWO Vlives!!! Peaches are spoiled and I love it!


	11. Memories

\- 2 weeks later

Sayoung drank another bottle of beer as she stared monotonously at her room. To her left, a DVD of her favorite movie, My Neighbor Totoro, which was given to her by Daniel. To her right, a horribly painted figurine of Mickey Mouse that she and Daniel had painted together on their trip to Disneyland. Sayoung lets out a sigh as she took another sip of her beer… everywhere she looked in her apartment had traces of Daniel in it. Even the blanket she currently had wrapped around her body was something that Daniel had given her after he complained that her blankets were too thin and that’s why she gets sick so easily.

Sayoung knew that when she and Daniel agreed to break things off, it’d be hard, but what she didn’t know was just how painful it’ll be. She expected that she’ll probably cry for days, which she did, and she expected that her life will become a mess, which it did, what she didn’t expect is how much it’ll physically hurt, so much so that there are days where she felt like she couldn’t even breath because her heart felt like someone had grabbed a hold of it and was crushing it with their bare hand. The worst thing was, no medicine or doctor in the world could stop this pain, because it came from her memory, memories of her and Daniel together. So with that, she resorted to the only thing that could help - alcohol. Despite not being a big fan of drinking, Sayoung was now 4 bottles in, the most she's ever drunk. What she didn’t realize is that drinking that much also brought out a different side of her, a side that was honest and brave. Brave enough to confront the person her heart was yearning for.

As if another person had taken control of her body, Sayoung found herself climbing out of bed and marching towards her front door. She watched as her possessed-self opened the door then continued walking forward, where it found itself in front of Daniel’s door. Despite her mind trying to claim back control of its body, Sayoung watched as her body refuses to obey and instead, started knocking. Her heartbeat grew faster and louder as she heard footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of the door unlocking.

The first thing that popped up in her head when she saw him was he’s alive. The Second thing that popped up, his wounds are better now, though you can still see the cut on his lips and forehead. Her third thought, well, she said that one out loud.

“I miss you…” Sayoung muttered as she looked at him anxiously, hoping he’d confessed to feeling the same way. However, after the look of shock disappeared from his face, probably because he didn’t expect for her to show up at his door at 3 AM, he turned stoic.

“You’re drunk. Go home” he said blankly, completely breaking her heart in just four words. She was certainly drunk, but not drunk enough for that not to hurt.

“Daniel, I miss you…” Sayoung said once more. Perhaps he didn’t hear her the first time, perhaps he just needed to hear it a second time, she convinced herself.

Daniel sighed. The sight of Sayoung in front of him, saying those words, it made his heart go into a frenzy and it took all of his energy to resist holding her then and there. Of course, he missed her as well, not a second goes by where he doesn’t miss her. Yet, he can’t look at her face without thinking about Minhyun, or more specifically, how hurt Minhyun was.

“Sayoung, nothing has changed.”

She inhaled sharply, letting go of the last bit of her pride “so that’s it? We’re really done?” she asked as she held onto his hands… all he had to do now was hold it back.

Daniel paused, hesitating to answer her. “You don’t get it. If we are together, every time I look at you, I’ll be reminded of the fact that I stole you from my brother. Every time we’re together, smiling happily, in the back of my mind, I will always recall that we’re laughing at the expense of Minhyun’s misery. I will feel disgusted every time I’m near you. So yeah, Sayoung… this is it. Because I’ve been cruel to him enough as it is, I can’t hurt him even more.” Daniel said as he sheds her hands away, “goodbye” he uttered before closing the door on the now frozen Sayoung.

 

-2 months later

 

Ever since that night, Daniel and Sayoung have avoided each other to the best of their abilities, which wasn’t hard since they knew each other’s schedule like the back of their hand. Daniel knew that Sayoung leaves for work at 10 AM and returns home at 7 PM so he’d always avoided leaving or entering the building at that time, likewise, Sayoung knew Daniel leaves for work at 9 AM and comes home at 6 PM so she’d also avoided those hours. Still, on the rare occasions where they do run into each other, Sayoung or Daniel would quickly walk the other way or, if that wasn’t possible, walk past each other and pretend the other person wasn’t there.

Though it was difficult the first couple of weeks, the duo eventually got used to the new dynamic. Sayoung managed this by completely diving into her work and never giving herself a moment to breathe or think. Daniel managed this by also working like crazy during the day while drowning himself in alcohol at night. And most of the time, the alcohol was enough to help him get past the night, well, except for tonight. Tonight, was different. Tonight, was Sayoung’s birthday and despite being bottles in, Daniel couldn’t shake her from his thoughts. Was she celebrating her birthday by herself? Did she get to eat any cake, which was her favorite thing about birthdays? Daniel thought back to her birthday last year, in which he, Minhyun and Sayoung, all gathered at the apartment to celebrate it. He recalled how her eyes completely disappeared into her smile when he made brought out the red velvet cheesecake that he had made for her earlier in the day. Tonight, more than any other night, Daniel was dying to know if she was happy and well.

Suddenly, his thoughts were distracted by the ear-deafening sound of a fire alarm, followed by voices from his neighbors, all coming out of their apartment and yelling in a panic. Daniel quickly rose from his spot then hurried outside to see what’s the commotion.

“What are you standing here for? We need to go, now!” Mr. Ha, the other tenant on their floor, yelled as he grabbed a hold of Daniel’s arm and began dragging him down the stairs before Daniel could even react.

Daniel took a deep breath once they finally made it outside… running down 6 flights of stairs certainly reminded him that he needs to hit the gym again. Looking around, he noticed that most of the other residents were also there, some were looking back up at the apartment complex with worries in their eyes while others were calling family members and making sure their loved ones are safe.

“What happened?” Daniel asked one of the onlooker, an older gentleman, who was looking up at the building.

“Apartment 5B caught on fire” the older gentleman responded.

“5B?!” Daniel quickly peered back up to find smoke coming out of a window on the 5th floor. 5B was indirectly below 6B, where Sayoung lived. Daniel looked at his watch - 11:26 PM. Sayoung should’ve been home by now. In a panic, he began looking everywhere for traces of her in the crowd, however, with over 300 people there, and with everyone clamoring and moving about, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Desperate, Daniel began calling for her name, “Kim Sayoung!!!” but with each silence, he grew more desperate and afraid.

Millions of thoughts ran through his head… Is it possible that she’s still in the building? What if she had fallen asleep? Sayoung was such a heavy sleeper that even an elephant dancing in her living room wouldn’t wake her up. What if those cruel words that he said to her became the last words he’d ever say to her? What if he never gets to see her again? “Kim Sayoung!!!” he called again and again as he pushed through the crowd, his voice becoming shakier. “Answer me, damn it. Kim Sayoung!!!” he hollered as he switched between calling out her name and calling her phone, which went to voice mail.

“Ajusshi… are you looking for fairy unni?” a little girl asked, she was older now, but Daniel could recognize her from before. It was the same little girl Sayoung was with 3 years ago, whose parents were getting a divorce.

“Have you seen her? Tell me where she is!” Daniel grabbed a hold of the little girl and looked at her desperately, hanging his hope onto her every word.    

“I saw her about 2 hours ago. She said today was her birthday so I asked if she wanted to celebrate it together since she looked so sad, but she told me she was too tired and was going to head to bed instead. That was the last time I saw her” the little girl answered, her tone growing anxious as well. “Ajusshi… I think she might still be in the building…”

With that, Daniel rushed towards the entrance of the building while praying for Sayoung's safety in his head.

“ _Please be ok, please be ok_ ” Daniel pleaded as he pushed through the crowd and finally made it there, however, he was suddenly stopped by the security guard, who was standing at the entrance.

“Whoa whoa whoa, where are you going? Sir, please stay back, it’s not safe to go back in right now” the security guard warned as he placed himself in front of the door, blocking Daniel’s path.  

“I have to get back in! Sayoung is still in there!” Daniel screamed as he tried to push pass the 195 pounds guard to no avail, he wasn’t budging an inch.

“Sir, you are putting your life at risk if you go back in there, I can’t have you do that. The firefighters are already in there, let them take care of it.” The security guard reasoned. Still, Daniel couldn’t wait… Sayoung was all the way on the 6th floor, by the time they got there, it could be too late.

“What if that’s your wife that’s in there? Your children? Would you stand there and wait?!” Daniel roared, tears streaming from his eyes due to how scared and mad he was. However, just when the security guard was about to give in, Daniel heard a familiar voice, a voice he’s been waiting to hear back from for the past 7 minutes. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, causing Daniel turned around to find Sayoung standing there with grocery bags in her hand, looking completely puzzled by the current situation.

Screw becoming strangers again, screw pretending that they don’t know each other, screw this new dynamic. Daniel rushed to Sayoung and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his body and hugging her as tight as possible, causing her to drop the groceries in her hands as the result.

“I was so worried!” Daniel cried as he held her even tighter. Sayoung could feel her shirt getting drenched in his tears. Like Minhyun, Daniel has never cried in front of her so this was something she didn’t know how to handle, plus, being apart from him for the past 2 months, it felt foreign to interact with him again. Yet at the same time, the familiarity of his hug and voice worried Sayoung… 2 months of her trying to get over him was quickly shaken by just 2 seconds of his hug. 

Afraid that if she lets him hug her any longer, she’ll have a hard time letting him go again, Sayoung quickly shoved him away. 

“Where were you?! Don’t you know I was going crazy trying to find you?” Daniel yelled.

“I went to the grocery store because I wanted to try making a cake by myself…” she answered him, still perplexed by the situation. Why was he looking for her? Why was he so worried?

“Then why didn’t you pick up your phone!?!” Daniel yelled once more.

“The grocery store is only 5 minutes away so I just left my phone at home. Why are you freaking out?”

“I’m freaking out because I thought you were still in the building! I’m freaking out because I couldn’t find you. I’m freaking out because I thought I’ll never be able to see you again!” Daniel confessed.  

“Isn’t that what you want though? To never see me again?” she stated coldly. Truth was, ever since that night, Sayoung couldn’t help but felt resentment towards him. She resented the fact that he said he felt disgusted every time he’s near her. She resented him for closing his door, the door that she threw away all of her pride for when she knocked on it. 

“Miss, are you the tenant in 6B?” one of the firefighters asked, interrupting Daniel before he could answer her.

“Yes, is everything ok?” Sayoung greeted him with a bow and waited for him to deliver the news.

“It was nothing major. The apartment below you lit a candle and when the wind blew on the curtain, it touched the candle and caught on fire. The fire was already out when we got here, it’s mainly just smoke that everyone was looking at. Still, to be safe, since your apartment is directly on top of the fire, if you can find a place to stay for the night before the building inspector comes tomorrow, that would be best.”

“What about the rest of the residents?” Daniel chimed in.

“Honestly, the building is completely safe. It was such a small fire. The rest of the residents can go back in. We’re only making the tenants in 6B and 4B find a different place because we want to err on the side of caution since they took a more “direct” impact from the fire.”

Sayoung looked at her watch and sighed, 11:48 PM, way too late to be bothering her friends or relatives at this time. “Can I at least go in there and grab some of my stuff?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, I’m afraid we’re going to have to tape off your place until the safety inspector comes tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding”, with that, the fireman walked away, leaving Sayoung in complete annoyance as she lets out a huge groan of frustration. Talk about the worst birthday ever.

“Can I borrow your phone?” Sayoung asked Daniel, who nodded and handed it to her.

“Who are you calling?” he asked.

“Taxi” she answered as she dialed the number of the taxi company she’s accustomed to using.

“Where are you going to go”

“Daniel… does it matter? Look, we’re strangers now, aren’t we? I appreciate you letting me use your phone, I’ll get out of your sight once I’m done.” Sayoung replied bluntly while waiting for someone to pick up. Finally, a voice answered on the other side of the phone, “this is Seoul Taxi Company, how may we help you?”

“Hi, I would like a taxi to the Omni hotel, you can pick me up at…”

Before Sayoung could finish her sentence, Daniel had grabbed the phone from her and hung up.

“Stay at my place instead…” he offered. 

____________________

For those of you that have noticed, this story is rated Mature. Let's just say the _Mature_ is coming soon. = )


	12. Cloud 9

Sayoung questioned her sanity as to why she took Daniel up on his offer. They haven’t spoken for months and the last time they spoke, he slammed the door coldly on her face. Not to mention the Minhyun situation that hasn’t been resolved. Still, despite common sense telling her to get a hotel or even go back to her mom’s house instead, Sayoung couldn’t fight off her curiosity. How is Daniel doing? Has he moved on? Did he make up with Minhyun? Sayoung simply had too many questions.

“Just to let you know… I didn’t expect any guests, so the place is kind of a pigsty right now” Daniel warned before unlocking the apartment and revealing the interior, leaving Sayoung’s mouth agape.

“Geez, when’s the last time you took out the trash?” Sayoung scrunched her nose displeasingly as she cautiously entered the apartment that was covered littered with empty beer cans on every surface. Sayoung looked around at the familiar yet also alien surrounding. Everything was the same in the apartment, the furniture, the decoration, the lighting… yet the place felt so somber and lonely, a contrast to how it was before. Just like that, one of Sayoung’s question was answered. Clearly, Daniel and Minhyun still haven’t made up, after all, Minhyun would never let the place get this messy.

“He still hasn’t talked to you?” Sayoung’s face turned sullen as she walked to the kitchen counter and placed her grocery bags on top of it.

Danie sighed as he joined her in unbagging the groceries. “I tried texting, calling, and even went to his workplace” Daniel admitted, “he refused to even look at me.”

Daniel looked over at Sayoung, who suddenly stopped what she was doing and was looking at the floor due to an overwhelming sense of guilt. She never thought the brothers would go this long without talking to one another.

“I’m sorry…” she uttered.

Sensing Sayoung’s uneasiness, Daniel quickly changed the subject. “Ya” he ruffled her hair playfully, causing Sayoung’s to look up at him, “you said you’re planning to bake your own cake. You call this baking your own cake?” Daniel teased as he held up a box of ready-to-bake cake mix. “Even a 3-year-old can do better than this.”

Just like that, Daniel took Sayoung’s mind off the heavy topic and focused it on quarreling with him instead. “Don’t judge my cake mix” Sayoung hissed as she snatched the box from Daniel’s hand “I still have to add 3 eggs and mix it around before putting it in the oven. And last time I check, that’s considered as baking.” Sayoung rolled her eyes “besides, it’s midnight, I don’t have 2 hours to spend on a cake.”

“2 months gone by and you’re still can’t cook to save your life” Daniel chuckled as he grabbed the cake mix from her and tossed it in the trash can “alright, let’s make you a real cake.”

“YA! That was 3 dollars!”

“Do you want to spend your birthday eating a cake that tastes like cardboard or an actual cake?”

\---

“Ok, now carefully transfer the yolk back and forth between the two shells. Make sure that only the egg white falls down into the bowl while the yolk stays in the shell. If you get the yolk mixed with the whites, the meringue won’t whip properly” Daniel instructed as he watched Sayoung fumbled with separating the eggs. “Oh god, my blood pressure” Daniel groaned as he grabbed his nape and threw his head back in frustration when Sayoung accidentally dropped the egg yolk into the bowl of egg whites, thereby rendering the last 4 minutes they spent separating it completely useless.

“I hate cooking” Sayoung declared before throwing the eggshells into the bowl in frustration. “You do it.”

“Well… you lasted a good 5 minutes before giving up.” Daniel laughed then grabbed Sayoung by the shoulders and scooted her over to the side and took her place.

Sayoung watched as Daniel quickly separated the eggs with ease then began whisking the egg whites, turning it into a thick white froth. It was as if nothing between them has changed, Daniel cooking for her while she sat there and waited for him. Except everything has changed and Sayoung was well aware of the fact. Despite not wanting to ruin the moment, Sayoung knew she had to ask since it’s been bothering her since they met again.

“Why are you suddenly talking to me again?” Sayoung questioned, causing Daniel to pause what he’s doing as he contemplated how to answer her.

“Are you taking pity on me because you thought I didn’t have a place to stay?” she continued.

Daniel looked up at her. “No, it’s not because I pity you…”

“Then what is it? Is it because it’s my birthday and you felt bad that I had to spend it all alone?” she pressed.

“No, it’s not that either.”

“Well then what’s the reason, Daniel? Why are you suddenly acting like we’re ok again?”

Daniel thought for several more moments before finally answering her “because I couldn’t stop missing you” he said bluntly then continued cooking in order to hide how flustered his answer has made him.   

And just like that, Sayoung found her heart rapidly beating once more and leaving her tongue-tied in the process. The feelings that she spent the past 2 months trying to fight off came back in matters of seconds.  What does he mean by he couldn’t stop missing her? Unsure of how to respond to what he just said, Sayoung watched Daniel in a trance-like state as she scoured her brain for words to form a sentence. How is he standing there so calming when she’s having a mental breakdown?

Sayoung’s eyes followed Daniel as he opened the oven and placed the cake batter inside. “It should be done in 25 minutes” he stated while avoiding eye contact with her. “Anyways, I’m going to hop in the shower. It should be done by the time I’m out” he stated before walking away, leaving Sayoung standing there, questioning what just happened.

-

Daniel quickly shut the bathroom door behind him then leaned his back against it, banging his head softly against the door in annoyance as he cursed at himself for saying such a thing when they barely started talking again. “I’m such an idiot” he groaned.

-30 minutes later

Daniel was in the midst of blow-drying his hair when he suddenly heard a shriek from Sayoung. Dropping his blowdryer onto the floor, Daniel quickly rushed outside to see if what’s wrong.

“Are you ok?! What happened?” he asked as he ran into the kitchen and found Sayoung standing there staring at her fingers.

“It’s nothing, I just burned myself trying to get the cake out” Sayoung answered then watched as Daniel walked over and grabbed a hold of her hands, examining the damage. Once he saw that her fingers were only slightly red, Daniel’s worries quickly turned into a lecture “what were you thinking, touching it with your bare hands” he frowned.

“I thought it’d cool down by now since it’s been 5 minutes” Sayoung explained then pouted “plus… it looked so good so I wanted to try just a little bit…”

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh “you seriously haven’t changed one bit.” With that, he pulled her over to the sink then ran her fingers under cold water. “I don’t think you held it long enough for your skin to blister, but better safe than sorry.”

Daniel’s concern over her wellbeing made Sayoung recall all the other times he’s taken care of her in the past 3 years. Being there for her every time she and Minhyun fought. Waking up at 5 AM just to make her pancakes before she goes to work. Dropping by her workplace just to pick her up when it’s raining. Always having a pair of tennis shoes in his car in case her feet are tired from walking in heels. Daniel had always been the perfect guy for her…

“What are we doing?” Sayoung asked as she pulled her hands away from Daniel’s grips and looked at him.

“The cold water helps the burn” Daniel answered.

“No… I mean you and me” she stated sternly. “What is this? You talking to me again, being nice to me, treating me the way you used to… what does this mean?”

Daniel paused, working up the courage to tackle the conversation. “I told you… I couldn’t stop missing you.”

“What about Minhyun? You said you can’t continue to see me because that’s too cruel to Minhyun… and well, nothing has changed.”

“I know nothing has changed between Minhyun and me, but I’ve changed. When I thought that I could never see you again, I realized I can’t go through life never seeing you again…”

“So you’re ok with Minhyun staying mad at you?”

“No, I’m not ok with that. I’m going to continue to beg for his forgiveness. But I’m not ok with never talking or seeing you again either. I will just have to beg for his forgiveness on that as well.”

Sayoung remained silent, trying to process what Daniel just said.

“Sayoung, I just want us to go back to how we were.”

Suddenly, Sayoung found herself in a predicament. What does he mean by go back to how they were? As in, back to being friends?

“How we were?” she questioned.

“Yes. I miss ordering in and watching Netflix with you. I miss going to the movies and the amusement parks together. I miss us just hanging out.”

Daniel’s sweet words should’ve melted Sayoung’s heart, except it didn’t. Sayoung also missed those things, but they did those things as friends, and Sayoung didn’t want to be friends. She couldn’t.

“So you want to go back to how we were and pretend that nothing happened?” Sayoung asked once more, making sure she’s understanding him correctly, “go back to being friends?”

Daniel stood there and looked at her, clearly, she’s misunderstood. He thought he was making it loud and clear what he wanted. Daniel paused for a moment, looking for ways to clarify himself, not knowing that his silence only affirmed Sayoung’s misunderstanding.

Growing more disappointed by the seconds, Sayoung knew she had to leave before she said something stupid. “Actually, it’s getting late and I’m feeling really tired. I’ll eat the cake tomorrow. Goodnight” and with that, Sayoung quickly walked into the guest bedroom and closed the door behind her.

\---

 “Ya! Kim Sayoung!” Daniel turned the doorknob to her room only to realized she had locked it. “Open the door” he knocked loudly.

Sayoung ignored him.

“You know I have the key to this room anyways so just spare us both the trouble.”

Sayoung lets out a huge sigh as she approached the door and opened it. “Can’t this wait till tomorrow?” she asked.

“Who the hell said I wanted to go back to being friends?” Daniel scowled.  

“You did.”

“I’m saying I want us to do those things again… but this time, as a couple” Daniel’s face began to turn red as he timidly muttered the last words in his sentence, too shy and embarrassed to say it louder. No matter how comfortable he was with her, that was way too cheesy.

Sayoung found herself weak in the knees from his words and couldn’t help but beam from ear to ear due to how shy he was being about it. As flustered as she was, she wanted to tease him, after all, he made her suffer the past 2 months. “What’s that? I can’t hear what you said at towards the end” Sayoung tried to say it with a straight face.  

“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” Daniel glared at her, furrowing his brows.

Stifling her smile, Sayoung replied, “I seriously didn’t hear what you say since you spoke so quietly towards the end.”  

“Damn it Sayoung, you’re really going to make me say it again?”

“I mean, if you don’t want to, it’s fine… I’m pretty tired anyway.” Sayoung smirked as she turned around and began making her way towards her bed, only to feel Daniel’s grab her by the wrist and spun her around, pulling her into his body as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Since you can’t seem to hear very well, do you want me to show it instead?”

Sayoung held her breath in an attempt to stop her heart from jumping out of her throat. He was too close for comfort and the way he’s looking at her right now was not a look she’s accustomed to. Blinking her eyes several times, Sayoung watched as Daniel brought his face closer to hers until their lips are on the verge of meeting.

“Would a friend do this?” Daniel whispered before closing the distance between their lips and letting them finally meet after months of torturous longing.

Sayoung froze as their lips touch. Was this all a dream? If so, it was an incredibly vivid dream as his lips were just as soft as she remembered, his scent just as attractive.

No, it wasn’t a dream. Daniel really just kissed her. Sayoung watched as Daniel pulled away from her lips ever so slightly just to stare into her eyes, checking if she’s ok. No… she’s not. Kang Daniel just kissed her, albeit it was too short for her liking. When Daniel realized Sayoung wasn’t resisting his kiss, his eyes trailed down to her lips once more. Like her, the kiss was also too short for his liking. Now that he’s thrown all caution to the wind, Daniel wasn’t planning to hold back.

Daniel leaned back in, reuniting their lips once more. This time, Daniel grew more brave and adventurous as he began kissing her more hungrily, exploring every inch of her lips and devouring them. Soon, Sayoung returned the kiss with the same intensity, allowing herself to melt into his mouth as well. It didn’t take long before the kiss grew more steamy as Daniel brought her closer to his body, kissing her even more eagerly as he tilted his head to access even more of her. All these years of wanting to kiss her, Daniel couldn’t contain himself now her lips were finally his’s. He wanted to taste every part of her.

What started out as a PG kiss grew more rated as the duo made their way towards the guest bed, their lips never separating in the process despite each person in dire need of taking a breath. Just like that, the couple was now entangled in one another, their kisses grew sloppier as they became occupied with each other’s body instead. Daniel began running his hands down the curvature of her waist while Sayoung’s hand slide itself up Daniel’s abs and towards his chest. It was clear that things were getting more intense and as excited as Daniel was, perhaps a bit too excited, he knew he had to contain himself before he took it too far, after all, they just started again and he didn’t want to rush the relationship. Still… it was difficult when the taste of her strawberry lip balm, her perfume, and her soft lips were all so enticing. Wanting to slow down but couldn’t find himself being able to stop, Daniel was luckily saved by an interrupting phone call made by Sayoung’s mother.

“Are you ok?! I just saw the news and they said your apartment is on fire!” Sayoung’s mom panicked through the phone.

“Mom… I’m ok” Sayoung groaned as she looked at Daniel apologetically for having to stop what they were doing. Unlike Daniel, Sayoung was ok with things going further than that, after all, to her, they had waited 3 years for this. “It wasn’t really a fire. People were just overreacting.”

Reluctant to leave her side but not one to intrude on her conversation with her mom, Daniel quietly snuck out the door before waving goodbye to Sayoung, who waved back then mouth “goodnight”. As much as Sayoung loves her mom, she knew her mom was a worry wart and that she’d be stuck on the phone for the next 30 minutes just reassuring her everything is ok.

\----- The next day

Sayoung tossed and turned on the unfamiliar bed when a familiar scent attacked her senses. A strong note of maple syrup was all she needed to detect to guess what Daniel was making and there’s no way in hell she’s lying in bed for another second. Sayoung instantly shot out of bed and fumbled her way to the kitchen to find Daniel, who had just finished up the last batch of pancakes and slid it onto a plate.

“Morning” he greeted with a smile as he pulled out a chair for her, signaling for her to sit down.

“Morning” Sayoung answered shyly as she recalled the events that occurred last night. Is this their first morning together as a couple? It was odd, they’ve done this plenty of time, well, eat breakfast together that is… but not this, as in… eat breakfast together as a couple. For some reason, the idea made Sayoung suddenly self-conscious as she found herself running her fingers through her hair to fix the mess that tossing and turning all night has caused, as well as straightening out her clothes a little.

“How’d you sleep?” Daniel asked casually as he sat down next to her.

“Your guest bed is horrible” Sayoung blurted as she began devouring the pancakes like she hadn’t eaten in days. They were just as delicious as she remembered them.

“You can always sleep in my bed” Daniel blurted without thinking then quickly waved his hands frantically, signally that it’s not what he meant “I meant you can sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep in the guest room” he clarified, much to Sayoung’s amusement.

For some reason, Sayoung couldn’t help but burst out laughing at how awkward it was. It was weird that they’re so comfortable with each other yet also so shy. The line between being each other’s best friend versus being each other’s boyfriend/girlfriend was so hazy. Sayoung doesn’t know if she should respond by teasing him, which is what she would’ve done back then, or get all shy because the thought of them sleeping in the same bed was making her thoughts go into a frenzy.

“What’s so funny?” Daniel asked.

“This. Us” she answered while still giggling.

“We’re funny?” he cocked his head in confusion.

“I mean… it’s just a little bit weird”

Daniel frowned. Was she having second thoughts? “What’s weird?”

“Well, you know… you were always like my little brother”

Daniel was not amused, at all, “do you still see me as your little brother?”

“I’m just saying that I’m not used to it” Sayoung replied.

Daniel furrowed his brows, not liking what he’s hearing. “Do I need to remind you of yesterday again?” Daniel smirked mischievously as he grabbed a hold of Sayoung’s fork and placed it down on the plate before leaning in closer to her “because I’ve been dying to do it again” he whispered.

And just like that, Sayoung went from feeling awkward about the situation to feeling like her heart is about to leap out of her throat again. Closing her eyes and puckering up to prepare herself for his kiss, Sayoung felt his lips landing on her forehead instead, causing her to open her eyes annoyingly. That’s it?! A forehead kiss?! What’s this, Disney Channel?!

“I don’t think I can stop myself once I start” his husky voice resonated in her ears before he pulled away and stood up “and since I have to leave for work right now. I can’t afford to start something I can’t stop”.

Sayoung crossed her arms and glared at him, wanting to tear him a new one for teasing her as Daniel made his way towards the door, grabbing the set of keys laying on the kitchen counter in the process.

“See you tonight?” Daniel asked, “I’ll make dinner and pick up some wine. We can have our first date” he beamed.

The words _First Date_ melted Sayoung’s annoyance away as she smiled back at him. She and Daniel are dating and they’re having their first date tonight. Never in a million year could she see this coming, yet for the first time in her life, she’s felt like everything was now falling into place. “I’ll pick a movie for us to watch” she answered in return.

“See you later… babe” Daniel smiled from ear to ear as he said the last word. Sayoung was now his _babe_. Nothing could take him away from this high. He was floating on cloud 9.

Nothing that is, until he opened the door and found the last person he expected to see standing there.

“Hyung…” Daniel uttered.

________________________________________

Hey guys, I'm so so so sorry for taking so long to update. As I mentioned in my other story (The Pact), life just got really busy and I ran into a bit of a writer's block. I just found myself constantly writing and rewriting the chapter, not really satisfied with what I had; this went on for weeks. I finally reached a point where I'm ok with it and hopefully, you guys find the chapter enjoyable as well. Thank you for patiently waiting and I hope the wait was worth it. <3 


	13. Closure

“Hey little bro” Minhyun smiled as he stood at the door, greeting his currently wide-eyed younger brother, who he expected would’ve reacted this way. “It’s been a while.”

Daniel stood there at a complete loss for words. Was Minhyun really back or is this all a hallucination?

If he was indeed back… why now?

“Why are you standing at the door like a weirdo?” Sayoung chuckled as she approached the frozen Daniel to see what was all the commotions. Like Daniel, Sayoung instantly tensed up upon the sight of Minhyun standing there. “Minhyun?” she gasped, also questioning her own eyes.

Just as shocked as the duo was Minhyun. He had expected to see Daniel, after all, it is Daniel’s apartment, however, what he didn’t expect to see was Sayoung being there as well, much less at 6 in the morning, wearing what’s clearly Daniel’s oversized shirt as pajamas. It didn’t take long before Minhyun came to the conclusion that she must’ve spent the night.

Realizing how incriminating they currently looked, Sayoung tried to salvage the situation. After all, if Minhyun was really there to forgive Daniel, this turn of events might put them back to 0. “It’s not what it looks like, they blocked off my apartment due to the fire so Daniel just offered me a place to stay the night, that’s all” she quickly explained.

Snapping out of his trance, Daniel quickly nodded his head in agreement, “she’s just wearing my shirt because she couldn’t get her stuff from the apartment.”

Minhyun smiled, breathing out a sigh of relief. Still, the sight of the two together was unnerving. “I heard about the fire on the news and wanted to make sure that you were ok.”

“I’m ok” Daniel beamed brightly, ecstatic to know that his brother still cared about him. Unable to control his happiness any longer, Daniel threw his arms about Minhyun and pulled him into a hug “Hyung, I miss you!”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to be” Sayoung lets out an awkward goodbye wave before quickly retreating back to the guest room, leaving the brothers to be as they stood there in an embrace.

“Can I give you a ride to work? We can catch up along the way” Minhyun offered.

\---

“So how have you been?” Minhyun asked, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to glance over at Daniel, who was sitting uncomfortably in his seat, fidgeting all about in a state of nervousness.

“Things haven’t been the same since you’ve left” Daniel answered timidly, still adjusting to speaking to his brother again. “And you? Where have you been staying?”

“I actually found an apartment very close by to my workplace so I guess there’s something good that came out of this whole thing” Minhyun smiled.

Daniel frowned. He knew Minhyun said it in a joking manner, but a part of him still felt uneasy. “Have you really forgiven me?” Daniel asked.

“Should I stay mad at you for the rest of my life then?” Minhyun teased then hesitated for a second before continuing. “Look… the truth is, I think I tried to blame a lot of things on you even though they weren’t your fault. My breakup with Sayoung was never because you came into the picture, it was about me never being a part of it.” Minhyun then lightly punched Daniel’s shoulder jokingly “Don’t get me wrong, you’re still a jackass for having feelings for my girlfriend. You’re just lucky you’re the only jackass I have left in this world.”

Daniel’s face broke into a huge smile, feelings elated over the fact that his brother had finally forgiven him. Still, he knew that if he doesn’t want history to repeat itself, he’d have to tell Minhyun the truth about Sayoung. Nervously, Daniel brought up the subject.

“Listen… about Sayoung, she and I…”

Before Daniel could finish his sentence, Minhyun interrupted him.

“I’m still in love with Sayoung.”

As fast as Daniel’s smile came, they also disappeared just as quickly.

Minhyun continued. “What I also realized when I saw the news was that as much as I was worried for you, I was also just as worried for her. That’s when I knew I can’t let her go that easily.”

There it was again, the same gut-wrenching feeling Daniel felt 3 years ago when he found out Minhyun was in love with Sayoung as well, was back.

“So I guess that leaves us in a pretty difficult position,” Minhyun looked at Daniel “because from the looks of it, you’re not letting her go either.”

Daniel sat there quietly, deciding how he wants to approach the situation. He knew he’d have to choose his words very carefully to avoid distancing his relationship with Minhyun once again, yet on the other hand, he’s not planning on holding his truth.

“Are you and Sayoung together?” Minhyun asked then quickly corrected himself “actually, don’t tell me. I’m here to win her back, regardless of whether you guys are together or not.”

“Hyung, why are you telling me this?” Daniel questioned.

“Because, Daniel, you’re my brother so I don’t want this to come between our relationship any longer. However, I’m not going to give up easily just because you’re my brother either.”

“And I’m not going to give up either. Not this time” Daniel finally stood his ground.

“Good. In fact, I want you to fight for her as best as you could, that way, when she ultimately chooses me, we can finally move on with no regrets.”

“You sound so confident that she’ll choose you…”

Minhyun chuckled. “Of course I am"

“And why are you so sure?”

Minhyun looked at Daniel and uttered words he knew would shatter Daniel’s confidence into a million piece. It was his trump card. “Because… Daniel… I’ve always been her first choice.”

\---

“ _Because… Daniel… I’ve always been her first choice_ ” This sentence repeated over and over in Daniel’s head until the smell of burnt steak took his mind off it. Peering down at the stove, Daniel quickly turned off the fire and removed the charred pot from the stove. Letting out a huge sigh, Daniel threw the fourth piece of food he’s burnt today into the trashcan.  

“Whoa, what happened here?” Daniel’s boss, Ha Sungwoon, asked. It was odd that his best chef kept messing up and it certainly didn’t take a genius to figure out that something’s wrong.

“Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind today” Daniel apologized.

 “Why don’t you take a break, I’ll take over.” Sungwoon smiled as he tapped on Daniel’s shoulder reassuringly “I can’t afford for you to burn another $60 steak” he joked.

-

Laying outside on a bench behind the restaurant, Daniel couldn’t help but feel more and more uneasy. Speaking to Minhyun had made him complete unnerved about his situation with Sayoung. Once again, Minhyun’s words repeated themselves in Daniel’s head. _“Just think about it… she spent three years being completely in love with me while she saw you as her little brother the entire time. Weeks before she supposedly had feelings for you, she wanted to set you up with Nayoon. Daniel… what Sayoung felt for you is just gratitude, grateful that you were there for her.”_

Daniel knew that mind games were Minhyun’s area of expertise, after all, he’s a very good lawyer who knows how to manipulate people through words alone, yet despite acknowledging that, Daniel couldn’t help but take Minhyun’s words to heart. What if they were true? It didn’t take long before Daniel’s thoughts began to spiral out of control as he started questioning everything. Why was Sayoung so quick to explain to Minhyun that nothing happened this morning? Was that for his sake or was it for her sake? Was she actually over him? Someone she’s been with for 3 years? Someone who she planned to marry? What if…

Unable to dwell on his thoughts any longer without going insane, Daniel shot up from the bench and pulled out his phone. There’s only one way to find out. Deciding on what he should say to Sayoung, Daniel began typing and retyping his messages before a message suddenly arrived from Sayoung first.

_Sayoung: Hey… about tonight… can we reschedule?_

_Daniel: Did something happen?_

_Sayoung: Minhyun asked if I could meet him at 7:00, said there was something really important he needed to tell me._

_Daniel: Oh…_

_Sayoung: I’m so sorry. He made it sound like it can’t wait._

_Daniel: I see…_

_Sayoung: Did everything go ok with you and Minhyun?_

_Daniel: Yeah. Everything went fine._

_Sayoung: Sure you’re ok?_

_Daniel: Work is getting busy. I’ll talk to you later._

And there it was. Daniel’s worst case scenario found itself coming true.

\---

“Hey… you’re early” Sayoung greeted Minhyun with a reserved smile as she opened the door. It’s always awkward to see your ex, but it gets even more awkward when said ex is standing on the other side of the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“Hey Sayoung” he beamed in return before handing her a bouquet. “These are for you.”

Sayoung reluctantly accepted the flowers then stepped aside to invite Minhyun in. She followed his steps as he walked around the apartment, inspecting the changes to the décor she’s made, most noticeably, gone were all photos containing Minhyun and Daniel. “Wow, you really got rid of everything” Minhyun pointed out, finally settling on the couch.

Sayoung cautiously sat down next to Minhyun while making sure she left a large gap between them. “So is everything ok?” she asked, facing Minhyun and looking at him worriedly. “You said there was something really important you had to tell me.”

Minhyun smiled, “you certainly haven’t changed. Still straight to the point”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Minhyun brought himself closer to Sayoung on the couch. “How are you?” he inquired, not wanting to answer her question just yet.

Sayoung looked at Minhyun seriously “Minhyun, what’s going on? You said it was urgent. You’re worrying me.”

“I’m glad you still care about me.”

“Of course I do. I know we ended things… roughly… but you were a huge part of my life and that doesn’t change.”

“And what am I to your life now?”  Minhyun asked as he peered deep into her eyes longingly, hoping he can interpret her feelings through her reactions alone. “Am I still a part of it?”

He watched as Sayoung shifted uncomfortably from her spot and began staring at the floor. Her actions spoke 1,000 words. Still… he had to try. “I know we had so many problems… I know I didn’t prioritize you and that’s why we drifted away from each other...” Minhyun brought himself closer to her on the couch then grabbed a hold of her hands “but that’s when I thought my job was the most important thing in the world. Now, I realize that you are, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you if you’ll just give this one last try.”

“I…” Sayoung pulled her hands away, however, Minhyun quickly grabbed it again.

“Please, just hear me out some more” Minhyun held her hands even tighter. “Look, I know you think you have feelings for Daniel, but that’s just it Sayoung, you think. Daniel was there for you all those times I left you… so eventually, you mistook the comfort you find in him as actual feelings for him. But they’re feelings of comfort, not love.”

Sayoung sighed, “I know it’s hard for you to understand but…”

“Do you really think Daniel is that committed to you?  What he has is just a little school crush. Think about it, before we started dating, he had all that time to go after you yet he never did. Remember Nayoon, he dated her despite being in love with you. Did you forget that he helped me propose to you as well? Would someone who loves you give you up so easily? Daniel never once fought for you, because truth is, his feelings for you were never strong enough for him to do that. Me… I’ll fight for you, Sayoung, because I know you’re someone worth fighting for.”

A smile crept across Minhyun’s lips as he watched a look of doubt washed over Sayoung’s face, the same look of doubt he instilled upon Daniel when he spoke to him this morning. He hated being the bad guy, but if being the bad guy is what he needs to do to get Sayoung back, then so be it.

\---

Daniel looked at his watch, 6:50 PM. As far as Daniel knew, in 10 minutes, Minhyun would be at Sayoung’s door to confess his love to her and the thought of it alone made Daniel want to jump into a pit of despair. Making his way towards his apartment, Daniel suddenly stopped in his track and turned around, facing Sayoung’s door. Sure, maybe he’ll lose to Minhyun once again, but this time, Daniel isn’t planning on going down without a fight. Working up his courage, Daniel marched himself over to Sayoung door and like an old habit, opened the door without knocking.

”Hey, Sayoung…” he called out then stood there in complete shock at the sight in front of him. Minhyun and Sayoung caught in an embrace, a clearly intimate one at that.

“Daniel?” Sayoung gasped as she quickly let go of Minhyun.

And with that, Daniel quickly turned around and slammed the door shut. In a daze, Daniel headed back to his apartment, however, not before the sound of Sayoung’s door opening followed by her shouting his name stopped him in his track.

“Wait!” Sayoung called from behind “let me explain.”

“Yah. Daniel…” Minhyun called out as well, pursuing right behind Sayoung.

Daniel felt like a complete idiot. Of course this would happen.

“You don’t have to…” Daniel uttered, refusing to turn around knowing that the sight of Sayoung and Minhyun standing next to each other would only further his heartbreak. “I get it.”

“You’re misunderstanding the whole thing” Sayoung clarified as she walked up to Daniel and turned him around to face her.

“Misunderstood what? You’re clearly getting back together.” Daniel looked at Sayoung piercingly, his heartbreak slowly turning into resentment. “I should’ve known.”

“Should’ve known what?” Sayoung cocked an eyebrow.

“Known that it was always him. Known that he’s your first choice. Known that I was nothing more to you than a backup. You sure are cruel, Kim Sayoung.”

“Yah. Daniel, I suggest you stop talking” Minhyun chimed in. Which only angered Daniel further.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. You suddenly developing feelings for me when you spent years pining over my brother? I really am stupid. You probably never even had feelings for me. Did you pretend to like me just to spite Minhyun? Was that how you planned to get his attention again?”

Minhyun couldn’t help but facepalm, his brother was truly digging his own grave.

Sayoung scoffed. “Is that what you really think of me? The type of person that would do such a thing?”

“Ok, you guys are totally misunderstanding each other now… let me talk” Minhyun interjected, trying to calm the two hot-headed individuals.

“Forget it! He’s a jackass.” Sayoung rolled her eyes before marching back into her apartment and slamming the door shut.

“Daniel, what the hell man?” Minhyun gave Daniel a light shove.

“Shouldn’t you be happy? You won” Daniel said before turning around to walk towards his apartment once more. “Congratulations. I’m officially out of the picture.”

“No, you bloody idiot. She chose you.”

Daniel paused to make sure he heard Minhyun correctly before turning back around. “Wait… what did you say?”

“Oh god… my blood pressure. And I don’t know why the hell I’m doing this.” Minhyun ruffled his hair annoyingly. “I laid my heart on the table and pretty much begged for her to come back, but she was adamant on choosing you.”

“But… the hug…” Daniel uttered, realizing he just totally fucked up.

Minhyun lowered his head in embarrassment, “that was her comforting me because I was having a hard time accepting it was the end.”

“Hyung…”

“Don’t pity me. What you just said to her… you better hope you guys aren’t done either.” 

“Minhyun… do you mind if I go talk to her?”

\---

“Yah. Kim Sayoung, open the door” Daniel pounded on the door repeatedly.

Currently sitting on her couch and fuming away, Sayoung was not having it. “Go away, jackass”

“Look… I’m sorry. Minhyun explained everything to me.”

Sayoung scoffed. Oh, so now he’s sorry? After basically calling her a conniving bitch who pretended to have feelings for him just to get Minhyun back? No way in hell she’s letting him off the hook that easily, even if he said it out of anger. “As you said, I’m a very spiteful person and well, a spiteful person doesn’t forgive easily” Sayoung spoke with full-on sarcasm.

“Come on, open the door so we can talk” Daniel pleaded.

“No!”

“Sayoung, you’re being very immature”

“What’s that? I can’t hear you.”

Suddenly, Daniel grew silent, a silent that made Sayoung nervous. He’s not one to give up that easily. That’s when she realized…

THE SPARE KEY.

Racing towards the door to prevent him from getting in, Sayoung was just a hair too late as she watched the doorknob turn open and in entered Daniel, who looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

“Too late” he smiled as he dangled the spare key in front of her.

“Ugh!!! You’re so annoying!” Sayoung groaned as she attempted to walk to her room, however, Daniel grabbed a hold of her hand and spun her around, facing him.

“Clearly not that annoying since you chose me” Daniel smirked, pulling her closer to him.

“I must be clearly delirious when I made that choice” Sayoung puffed a strand of hair out of her face annoyingly. “I never knew you were such an ass.”

“Well, it’s too late. You chose this ass and now you’re stuck with me” Daniel said smugly before letting out a huge smile and pulling Sayoung into his arms, hugging her with all his strength.

“YAH! Let me go you fucking giant! I can’t breathe!”

Daniel chuckled, “never.”

\---

“Alright… here are the pancakes your royal highness demanded to appease your anger. Please let me know what else I can do to pay for my horrible sin” Daniel bowed jokingly as he handed Sayoung her plate of pancakes. “I can’t believe you still want pancakes when you just had some this morning”

“You’re going to have to cook pancakes for me for the rest of your life to make up for what you said.” Sayoung snarled then changed her expression as her eyes lit up at the stacks of pancakes in front of her.

“So what you’re saying is… you want me to be with you for the rest of my life?” Daniel teased.

Sayoung threw a pillow at Daniel, “stop being so cheesy.”

“Can’t help it. I’m just too happy” Daniel grinned. “Now hurry up and eat your food.”

Sayoung looked up from her plate at Daniel, raising an eyebrow “what’s the rush?”

“So I can kiss you” Daniel declared, completely unabashed.

“Yah…” Sayoung suddenly felt herself blushing hard.

Daniel chuckled. The sight of Sayoung getting all flustered only made him even more eager. “On second thought…” Daniel paused as he sat down next to Sayoung on the couch and took the plate from her hands. “the food can wait.”

Sayoung watched as Daniel placed the plate on the coffee table nearby then looked back at her. Inhaling sharply as Daniel began to lean in closer, Sayoung felt her heart going into a frenzy as he brought himself even closer until she was laying down and he was hovering right on top of her.  

“Yah… Kang Daniel, what’s gotten into you?” Sayoung asked nervously.

“Sayoung…” Daniel whispered.

“w-what…?”

“Is it ok if I don’t control myself tonight?” he asked, leaning in even closer.

_________________________

Hey guys! I can believe I'm almost done with this story. Next chapter will be the last one and as mentioned before, it'll be a mature one. Just wanted to say again how much I appreciate you guys for sticking with me and hanging in there even when I'm so slow with the updates. As always, please consider dropping a comment if you enjoy the story; it really is my main source of motivation. 


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